By Suresh Unnithan
The recent tragedy in Indore—India’s purported “number one smart city”—where contaminated drinking water claimed multiple lives and sickened hundreds, serves as a grim wake-up call to the failures of the government’s urban ambitions. In late December 2025, a sewage leak into municipal water lines in areas like Bhagirathpura resulted in bacterial contamination, with reports confirming between 5 and 15 deaths (including infants) and over 1,000 to 2,000 illnesses, though exact figures vary across sources. This catastrophe exposes the superficiality of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2015 Smart Cities Mission, which aimed to transform 100 urban centers into efficient, sustainable hubs using technology and smart infrastructure. Despite Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri’s 2023 statements highlighting progress (with 73% of projects completed at that time and an expectation of full completion by mid-2024), the mission was extended until March 2025, with incidents like Indore’s highlighting it as a classic political jumla—an empty slogan favoring optics over genuine progress, as evidenced by persistent crises in major cities.
The Indore Tragedy: A Stark Indictment of “Smart” Infrastructure
Indore, lauded for its cleanliness and top smart city ranking, has unraveled under scrutiny. Lab tests revealed sewage infiltration into drinking water due to poor maintenance of aging pipelines, leading to severe health impacts. More than 100 hospitalizations for vomiting, diarrhea, and dehydration underscore the neglect of basic services amid flashy projects like surveillance and apps. The National Human Rights Commission has demanded answers from Madhya Pradesh officials, but the incident reveals how billions in funding have failed to prevent such disasters, eroding public trust in the “smart” label.
This case is particularly damning as Indore is governed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the municipal level, with the state of Madhya Pradesh and the central government also under BJP rule—yet the city continues to ail from fundamental infrastructure lapses. Despite claims of completed projects such as riverfront development and road improvements, transparency issues plague the mission here, with probes into irregularities, corruption allegations, and a lack of clear disclosure on contractors like Vijay Pratap Sharma for specific works. Envisaged initiatives for Indore included integrated urban planning with public-private partnerships (PPPs), but achievements remain opaque, with little evidence of private funding materializing and ongoing challenges in basic amenities like water supply.
Budget Allocation and the Illusion of Achievements
The Smart Cities Mission was launched with a central budget of approximately ₹48,000 crore, intended to be supplemented by state and private contributions, bringing the total envisaged outlay to over ₹1.5 lakh crore. By May 2025, officials reported 94% utilization of the budget, with 7,555 projects completed out of 8,067 proposed, focusing on areas like digital governance, waste management, and surveillance.
However, these figures mask a stark reality: there have been no visible achievements in core basic facilities such as water supply, public transport, affordable housing, and reliable electricity. Many settlements still lack essential services, with the mission criticized for prioritizing superficial tech upgrades over sustainable infrastructure. Early audits revealed low fund utilization—just above 10% by 2020—due to delays, graft, and false promises, though later claims of high spending have not translated into tangible improvements for citizens.
Transparency Deficits: Envisaged Projects and Hidden Contractors
The mission’s envisaged projects were meant to encompass core infrastructure elements like adequate water supply, assured electricity, sanitation, solid waste management, affordable housing, efficient urban mobility, and robust IT connectivity. Yet, details remain shrouded in opacity, with persistent calls for greater transparency on project specifics, fund flows, and contractor selections. Contractors are often not fully disclosed publicly, leading to allegations of favoritism and corruption, as seen in Madhya Pradesh probes into tender irregularities worth hundreds of crores. The reliance on PPPs has faltered, with minimal private investment and a focus on monetization schemes that benefit select entities rather than the public. This lack of accountability has turned the mission into a black box, where billions are spent with little oversight, exacerbating inequities and failing to deliver on promised urban renewal.
Delhi: From Smart City Aspirations to an Open Gas Chamber
Delhi’s partial inclusion in the mission via the New Delhi Municipal Council has yielded little against air pollution woes. In 2025, AQI levels often exceeded 400, akin to smoking 50 cigarettes daily, turning the capital into a “gas chamber.” Government measures, like road sprinkling, are dismissed as gimmicks that manipulate readings rather than tackling emissions, stubble burning, or industry. Despite EV pushes, improvements were marginal, with eight “severe” days—the second-lowest since 2018, yet far from safe. Real-time monitoring tech exists but hasn’t spurred effective action, leaving the poor to bear the brunt.
Other Major Cities
Failures echo across cities. Pune grapples with traffic and flooding despite transport investments. Bengaluru’s lake projects have not curbed pollution and encroachments. Lavasa’s greenfield vision (a separate private project not under the Smart Cities Mission) lies abandoned due to violations and finances. Thiruvananthapuram, selected in the mission’s third round and now under BJP-led corporation following the 2025 elections, faces similar risks from its antiquated water system. Residents endured multi-day shortages in 2025 due to pipe bursts and disruptions, with a widening demand-supply gap signaling an impending crisis. The delayed Aruvikkara dam desilting, now slated for end-2026, highlights neglected infrastructure that could precipitate a tragedy akin to Indore’s if unaddressed. These cases illustrate the mission’s focus on digital facades over vital reforms, imposing costs without benefits.
The Smart Cities Mission, envisioned as the cradle of a “New Urban India,” stands exposed as an expensive mirage. From Indore’s deadly water to Delhi’s smog and Thiruvananthapuram’s looming threats, the disconnect between promises and reality is stark. Unutilized funds in early years, questionable high spending later, unequal emphasis, and token tech solutions demand a shift to transparent, people-focused planning that secures essentials like clean water and air. Without it, India’s cities will continue suffering under empty jumlas.
*With Inputs from Nanditha Subhadra
