Two Reasons Why Dehradun Failed To Make The Smart City Cut

Uttarakhand capital Dehradun is one city that has failed to get fund allocations under the Centre's Smart Cities Mission for a second time. Dehradun Municipal Commissioner Nitin Bhaduria, however, remains optimistic. He was recently quoted as saying that his city missed the bus by a very small margin.

While the hill city's ranking in the list has improved, it has been given time till July to submit a fresh proposal for the project. What could have stopped Dehradun from getting the grant for a second time? PropGuide finds out.

Storm in a 'tea' cup: In its plan, the city authorities had decided to develop the land used for tea production, a proposal that invited a lot of opposition from local people and environmentalists. These tea gardens, considered the lungs of the city, maintain the ecological balance, apart from employing thousands of locals. The proposal led to Dehradun not finding a place in the smart city when the first list for cities was announced.

A tall order: Under its development plan, the city authorities proposed demolition of existing areas and reconstruction of new ones, something not practically possible in the hill city. Redevelopment in the geographical topography of Dehradun would be devastating for the city.