Srinagar, July 1 -- The announcement of an independent audit into the Srinagar Smart City project is not a routine exercise in governance; it is a moment that demands a hard look at how thousands of crores have been spent and what the people have actually received in return. For years, Srinagar has been reshaped under the banner of modernisation. Roads have been dug up, corridors redesigned, facades beautified, and riverfronts altered. Yet the lived reality is that the city goes under water with even a modest rainfall. Drainage collapses, traffic grinds to a halt, and residents are left stranded. A city that was promised resilience against floods has instead become more fragile, more exposed, and more burdened.

The suffering of the peopl...