Jaipur: The launch of Jaipur Smart City Limited (JSCL) in 2015 came with the promise of preserving the city’s heritage while introducing a touch of modernity to its infrastructure. On paper, JSCL claims to have completed 33 projects so far. It also reported spending Rs 34 crore on underground power cabling by 2023, with another Rs 6 crore spent on repairing verandahs across the Walled City.Two years later, the ground reality on both these fronts paints a very different picture. From the bustling bazaars of Walled City to its maze of narrow lanes, overhead power cables still hang precariously like webs across the skyline. In heritage markets like Tripolia Bazaar, Bapu Bazaar, and Kishanpole, verandahs that were supposed to get a facelift continue to crumble. Broken tiles, peeling plaster, and wooden poles supporting fragile pillars tell a story of neglect rather than development.Ward 73 councillor Amar Singh Gurjar, whose area covers Bapu Bazaar, minces no words in describing the situation. “JSCL pocketed the funds and sat quietly, doing nothing,” he said. “They had barely started repairing verandahs in my ward before abandoning it midway. Within a year, the plaster began to peel off.” Bapu Bazaar Vyapar Mandal president Vicky Chelani said traders have lost faith in official promises after underground cabling work was never completed. “They just put the major lines underground and left the smaller lines and huge bundles of cable hanging all over the market,” he said.In Tripolia Bazaar, Ward 71 councillor Arvind Methi had a similar story. “We didn’t see them do any underground cabling, and every single lane in the bazaar continues to have a tangled mess of wires above it,” he said. “Some minor repairs on verandas were done, though it’s hardly worth speaking about,” he added. Speaking along similar lines, Tripolia Vyapar Mandal senior vice-president Yogesh Sharma recalled a shocking incident. “Two years ago, JSCL repaired a section of veranda in the bazaar. Within seven days, a part of the roof came off. A large chunk of it fell on a man’s head,” he said. Sharma shared his insights regarding the quality of repair work done on Walled City verandahs. “They claim to use traditional materials like lime and red soil for heritage conservation. In reality, however, they don’t follow the right process. Lime is supposed to be soaked for six months before it can be used for construction or repairs. They skipped that part and now we’re paying the price,” he said.“It’s not just about verandahs and underground cabling,” said Jaipur Vyapar Mahasangh vice-president Suresh Saini. “JSCL had also promised parking and road improvements, but nothing was done. In lanes like Ghee Wale Ka Rasta and Gopalji Ka Rasta, overhead power lines hang so low you can touch them with your head if you are not careful.” Ward 65 councillor Mohammad Zakaria said he had filed an RTI request in 2021 asking for details of JSCL projects and budgets, but never got a response. “Multiple locations chosen under the Smart City project were never developed. The goal was to preserve our city’s heritage, but instead, they diverted resources meant for it outside the city,” he said.TOI reached out to JSCL for comments on these issues. JSCL senior engineer Narendra Kumar Gupta said repair was a continuous process. “We complete our work and hand over maintenance to JMC-H,” he said. On the issue of power lines still hanging overhead, Gupta said, “Our job was completed and we handed it over to Jaipur Vidyut Vitaran Nigam Ltd for maintenance.”
Verandahs in ruins, tangle of cables tell ‘Smart City’ story | Jaipur News
