At least five smart cities mission projects started by Trichy Corporation face a test of survival due to a fund crunch with the construction work dragging on for three years now.
As the work on the two multi-level car parking projects has not even been completed even up to 70%, the corporation is under stress to complete the remaining work swiftly to avail budget before getting it lapsed.
Among the projects stalled by the corporation were the Multi-Level Car Parking (MLCP) on West Boulevard Road, Purathana Park near Rockfort, the vegetable market-cum-MLCP on Kaliammankoil Road near Chathiram bus stand, and an air-conditioned mall at Puthur.
Even as the initial work on the MLCP on the West Boulevard Road began in September 2019, the urban local body could achieve only 62% of the total work. The MLCP was expected to be completed by the last quarter of 2021.
The Purathana park on Butterworth Road, one of the oldest Smart cities mission proposals by the Trichy civic body, is still staggering towards completion. Launched in December 2019, only 60% of the construction work was completed.
A senior official with Trichy Corporation said that they had outsourced a few artistic structures in Purathana Park from state-run Poompuhar handicrafts, and they deferred the delivery. The contractor was urged to expedite the work.
Even as the MLCP project officially took off in August 2020, another MLCP project with a vegetable market on Kaliammankoil Street near the Chathiram bus stand has finished only 50% of the civil work.
Only 44% of work on the Puthur commercial market cum mall has been finished. The mall was expected to be completed by December 2022. Even though the Thillai Nayagam ghats redevelopment civil work was launched in 2019, the work has not made any progress.
The senior official said that the pandemic and lockdowns slowed down the work. As Smart cities mission projects of Trichy will get lapsed after March 2023, the works should be completed before the deadline.