Himachal Pradesh government will order and conduct a fair probe if any irregularities are found in works for Smart City Shimla, State Urban Development Minister Suresh Bhardwaj said on Wednesday.

Replying to a discussion under Rule 130 which was raised by Congress legislator Vikramaditya Singh, Bhardwaj said the smart city will have use of mechanical vehicles for cleaning, e-buses to save the environment of the city, charging stations, and CCTV cameras to streamline the security system in the city.

Under the project, the government is aiming to provide education to the students with modern technology for which smart schools will be constructed.

Apart from this, solar power systems are being installed on the roofs of government buildings to save energy which is very useful from the environmental point of view, he said.

He stated that a command and control center will be set up under the smart city which will be operated from the control room located in the Himachal Pradesh Secretariat. Through command and control centre many services like One City One App, smart solid waste management, smart parking etc will be provided.

The execution of the works of Smart City is being done by the Board of Directors and various works are being carried out by the government departments.

These works are being done by the concerned departments according to the prescribed standards, so there is no doubt about the quality of these works.

“No laxity has been taken in any work of Smart City. However, I once again assure the house that if any irregularity is noticed or brought to the notice in the performance of these works, a fair inquiry will be conducted,” he added.

Earlier, Congress member Vikramaditya Singh pointed out that Shimla-Sanjauli’s walkable path built under the project erecting heavy iron structures is a waste of public money.

The Ridge Ground has been caving in for many years but no efforts have been made to restore it.

He quoted the National Green Tribunal which had termed the Smart City Shimla project as ‘building castle in the air’ and stated that many works aren’t being executed on time. Singh warned that smart city projects’ central grants are going to lapse if these works are not completed on time as it is a time-bound project.