The NDMC covers only three per cent of the total area and population of the national capital. (PTI file photo)
Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party gave a political twist today to the Centre's smart city announcement, protesting that
the first list of 20 cities includes only Lutyen's Delhi for a makeover.
"Why only Lutyens Delhi 4 smart city project? What about Dilli's slums, kachhi colonies, villages, middle class areas? This is Modi's vision?" tweeted AAP's Ashish Khaitan, early on Friday morning.
His party colleague Ashutosh tweeted soon after, "When MODI launched Swachh Bharat, AAP supported.Why MODI could not make DELHI CLEAN. Because He does not Want DELHI to be world class."
Lutyen's Delhi, or the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) area, a 43 sq km portion of the capital where most government offices, Parliament, the Presidential palace Rashrapati Bhawan and the homes of VIPs are located,
has been selected among 20 cities that will see an urban upgrade in the first phase of the Centre's Smart City initiative, an election promise made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"The major areas that we had proposed to develop in NDMC areas include smart bus stops, app-integrated cycle tracks, sensor-based smart parking, e-surveillance including e-challan for traffic violation, automatic sewer cleaning machines, geo-tagging of bins and transforming public toilets into smart public amenities centre," a senior NDMC official said after Urban Development Minister
Venkaiah Naidu announced the smart city list on Thursday.
The NDMC covers only three per cent of the total area and population of the national capital.
The Aam Aadmi Party has been at loggerheads with the BJP-led Centre ever since it swept the Delhi assembly elections last year.