Mangaluru : Union Minister for Urban Development, Housing, Urban Poverty Alleviation M. Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday asked Mangaluru and other 79 cities to look inward, refine their proposals and compete in the second round for the selection of 40 cities that will be receiving grants under the Smart city scheme.

Speaking on “Sustainable Development – way forward” at Sanghaniketan here on Sunday, Mr. Naidu said, “Mangaluru is still in the race. It is not in the first 20 cities selected for implementing the scheme.”

The Minister asked Mangaluru City Corporation to study proposals submitted by Belagavi and Davangere (which made it to the list of first 20 cities selected for the scheme) and figure out what is lacking. “You revise your plan and compete in the second round of selection,” he said.

Mr. Naidu chided the corporation and other city municipalities for overtly relying on the State and the Centre for finance for development work and not looking at improving their revenue and tax collection. “In most of the cities, 90 per cent of the revenue goes towards salary. In such a scenario, where is the question of spending for development,” he said.

Smart cities, Mr. Naidu said, do not mean just physically appearing smart. Smart cities require smart leaders who can take tough decisions and remove unauthorised construction. These leaders should plan for the next 20 years. They should look at providing drinking water, sanitation, housing and 24 x 7 power supply. “What is required is a smart MLA, smart Mayor, smart Commissioner and smart Councillor,” he emphasised.

Mr. Naidu said it was for the city to improve upon its preparedness and compete in the selection process. “The State government, like a mother of a child, should hold the hand of corporations and prepare them for the competition,” he added. People should be involved in the development of urban areas. “We need to take care of cities and their needs as urbanisation is the order of the day,” he said.