Should I file RTI with MoHUA or directly with the Smart City SPV? What is the difference?

Smart Cities Mission involves two distinct layers of public authority. MoHUA (Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs) is the apex Central Government body that administers the Mission: it approves Smart City Proposals, releases Central Government funds, and monitors national-level performance data across all 100 Smart Cities. RTI to the CPIO of MoHUA is the correct route when you want Mission-level data — aggregate fund releases, city-wise utilisation statements, national policy documents, guidelines, and circulars. Smart City SPVs (Special Purpose Vehicles) are separate companies incorporated under the Companies Act, 2013, by each city. They are jointly owned by the Central Government (through MoHUA or a central PSU) and the State Government or Urban Local Body (ULB). Whether a Smart City SPV qualifies as a public authority under Section 2(h) of the RTI Act depends on the extent of government ownership and control. If the Central Government owns a majority stake, the SPV is a Central Government public authority and second appeals lie with the CIC; if the State or ULB holds majority, it is a State public authority and second appeals lie with the relevant State Information Commission (SIC) for that state. Because SPV ownership structures vary by city, and because MoHUA holds Mission-level fund-flow and monitoring data, this guide focuses on RTI to MoHUA for Mission-level information. For project-specific details that the SPV alone holds, consult your city's SPV directly or through the state's RTI portal.

What is the difference between Smart Cities Mission and AMRUT? Should I file separate RTIs?

Smart Cities Mission (SCM) and AMRUT (Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation) are two separate and distinct centrally sponsored schemes under MoHUA, launched simultaneously in June 2015. Smart Cities Mission covers 100 selected cities, focuses on area-based development (retrofitting, redevelopment, or greenfield) plus pan-city smart solutions, and operates through city-level SPVs with a specific approved Smart City Proposal for each city. AMRUT covers 500 cities and focuses on basic urban infrastructure: water supply, sewerage, urban transport, and green spaces. Each scheme has its own fund-flow, project approvals, and monitoring system. If you want information about a Smart Cities Mission project — ICCC, smart roads, smart lighting, integrated mobility — file RTI with MoHUA addressed to the Smart Cities Mission division. If your query is about water supply, sewerage, or urban transport under AMRUT in your city, file a separate RTI addressed to the AMRUT division of MoHUA. Combining both in one application risks partial response or transfer.

The CPIO says project information is held by the Smart City SPV, not MoHUA. What should I do?

This is a common response. If the CPIO of MoHUA transfers your application to the Smart City SPV under Section 6(3) of the RTI Act (transfer to another public authority), the SPV's CPIO must respond within the remaining period (30 days minus the days already elapsed at MoHUA). If the CPIO simply denies information on the ground that MoHUA does not hold it, but you believe MoHUA's project monitoring system (such as the SCM online dashboard used for Mission management) does contain the data, you should file a First Appeal under Section 19(1) of the RTI Act with the First Appellate Authority at MoHUA within 30 days of the date of decision or expiry of the 30-day response period, whichever is applicable. In your appeal, specifically argue that: (a) MoHUA regularly receives Utilisation Certificates and Quarterly Progress Reports from SPVs as a condition of fund release; (b) MoHUA's own mission monitoring portal aggregates this data; and (c) such records are therefore 'information held by or under the control of a public authority' as defined under Section 2(f) of the RTI Act. If the First Appeal is unsatisfactory, file a Second Appeal with the Central Information Commission (CIC) under Section 19(3).

Can RTI be used to obtain ICCC CCTV footage or raw surveillance data collected about me?

RTI under the Right to Information Act, 2005, provides access to 'information' held by public authorities, which includes documents, records, data summaries, and policies. However, there are important practical and legal limits when it comes to ICCC surveillance data. Raw CCTV footage of a specific individual may be sought if you can establish that it relates to you specifically and is held by a public authority — but the CPIO may claim exemption under Section 8(1)(e) (information held in fiduciary capacity) or Section 8(1)(j) (personal information with no public interest justification) for footage that also captures other individuals. More productive uses of RTI in the ICCC context are: asking for the data retention policy (how long footage is kept before deletion), the list of agencies with access to ICCC data, the legal framework under which data sharing takes place, and whether a Data Protection Officer or grievance officer has been designated. These policy-level disclosures are not personal data and cannot be exempted on privacy grounds. If you believe ICCC data about you has been misused, also consider a complaint under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, in addition to RTI.

Home/Guides/How to File RTI for Smart Cities Mission — Project Expenditure, Tenders, Contractor Details and ICCC Data Policies

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How to File RTI for Smart Cities Mission — Project Expenditure, Tenders, Contractor Details and ICCC Data Policies

Q: What do I do if the CPIO at MoHUA does not respond within 30 days or provides an incomplete answer?

File a First Appeal under Section 19(1) of the RTI Act with the First Appellate Authority (FAA) designated at the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. The First Appeal must be filed within 30 days of the date of decision or expiry of the 30-day response period, whichever is applicable. Clearly state the registration number of your original application, the date it was submitted, the specific questions that were not answered or were inadequately answered, and the relief you are seeking. If the FAA also fails to respond within 30 days or the response is unsatisfactory, file a Second Appeal with the Central Information Commission (CIC) under Section 19(3) of the RTI Act within 90 days of the FAA's decision or the expiry of the FAA's response period. MoHUA is a Central Government ministry — second appeal in all cases goes to the CIC, not any State Information Commission. The CIC has the authority to direct disclosure of information, award compensation to the applicant, and impose a penalty of ₹250 per day (up to ₹25,000) on the CPIO under Section 20 of the RTI Act if it is established that information was withheld without reasonable cause or the CPIO failed to respond within the prescribed period.

Step-by-step guide to file an RTI with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) under the Smart Cities Mission for project-wise expenditure, tender award records, contractor details, project completion timelines, pan-city proposal implementation status, and Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) data sharing and retention policies. Includes a ready-to-use sample RTI draft.

Updated 1 Jun 2026

Quick Facts

MinistryMinistry of Housing and Urban Affairs

Address RTI ToCPIO, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Nirman Bhawan, New Delhi – 110011

Application Fee₹10 under RTI (Regulation of Fee and Cost) Rules, 2005. Free for BPL cardholders.

Response Time30 days from receipt (Section 7(1), RTI Act 2005). 48 hours if the matter involves life or liberty.

File Online Athttps://rtionline.gov.in

All information on this page is based on the Right to Information Act, 2005 (Act No. 22 of 2005) and the RTI (Regulation of Fee and Cost) Rules, 2005. First Appeal: Section 19(1). Second Appeal to CIC/SIC: Section 19(3).

Urban citizens across India's 100 Smart Cities can use the Right to Information Act, 2005, as a powerful accountability tool to scrutinise how public funds are being spent under the Smart Cities Mission, who has been awarded contracts, whether projects are on schedule, and how sensitive data collected through Integrated Command and Control Centres (ICCCs) is being managed and shared. The Smart Cities Mission, launched by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) in June 2015, has channelled thousands of crores of Central Government funds into urban infrastructure, technology, and smart solutions across cities ranging from large metropolises to mid-sized towns. RTI applications to MoHUA's Smart Cities Mission division can surface project-wise expenditure statements, tender award records, contractor identities, time extension histories, and the data governance policies underpinning each city's ICCC.

Understanding the Smart Cities Mission Architecture and Where RTI Fits

The Smart Cities Mission operates through a two-tier structure. At the national level, MoHUA sets policy, approves Smart City Proposals (SCPs), releases Central Government grant funds (typically ₹500 crore per city over five years under the original framework), and monitors progress through quarterly reports and an online mission dashboard. At the city level, each selected city incorporates a Smart City Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) — a company registered under the Companies Act, 2013 — which executes projects on the ground. The SPV is typically jointly owned by the State Government and the Urban Local Body (ULB), with the Central Government having a shareholding through MoHUA or a designated central PSU.

For RTI purposes, MoHUA is a Central Government public authority under Section 2(h) of the RTI Act, and the CPIO at MoHUA is the correct officer for Mission-level data: aggregate fund releases, utilisation certificates submitted by SPVs, national policy documents, and guidelines issued to all cities. Because MoHUA receives Quarterly Progress Reports and Utilisation Certificates from every SPV as a precondition of fund release, a significant body of city-level project data also sits with MoHUA and is disclosable through RTI.

Note: Smart City SPVs are companies, and their status as public authorities under Section 2(h) depends on the extent of government ownership. Where Central Government holds majority, the SPV is a Central public authority and second appeals go to the CIC; where State Government or ULB holds majority, the SPV is a State public authority and second appeals go to the relevant State Information Commission. This guide focuses on RTI to MoHUA, which is applicable in all cases and does not require you to first determine SPV ownership structure.

What Information Can You Seek Under Smart Cities Mission RTI

A. Project-Wise Expenditure and Fund Utilisation

RTI is an effective means to verify how much money has actually been spent on Smart City projects in your city versus how much was approved and released. You can ask for:

A statement showing, for each project approved under your city's Smart City Proposal, the approved cost, the amount released by MoHUA as Central Government grant, the amount utilised as reported by the SPV, and the unspent balance
Utilisation Certificates submitted by the Smart City SPV of your city to MoHUA for any financial year
Whether any funds have been returned to MoHUA or the Consolidated Fund of India due to non-utilisation or project cancellation
The overall fund utilisation ranking of your city compared to other Smart Cities (available in MoHUA's mission monitoring data)

This information reveals whether projects that have been publicly announced are actually progressing or whether funds are sitting idle.

B. Tender Award Records and Procurement Transparency

Every project under the Smart Cities Mission must follow public procurement rules. RTI can yield:

Notice Inviting Tender (NIT) numbers and dates for specific projects
The name and address of the awarded contractor or implementing agency
The tender value, work order value, and any variations approved subsequently
The procurement method used (open competitive tender, limited tender, single-source/nomination) and, if not open tender, the reasons on record for the deviation
Whether any tender was split to avoid approval thresholds

Disclosures under this head are important for detecting overpricing, vendor favouritism, and procurement irregularities.

C. Contractor Details and Project Completion Timelines

For any project under the Mission, you can seek the contractor's full name, CIN (Company Identification Number), and registered address; whether the contractor is on any debarment or blacklist; the scheduled and actual start and completion dates; whether time extensions were granted; the reasons recorded for extensions; and whether liquidated damages were levied for delays. A pattern of repeated time extensions with insufficient justification is a common indicator of poor contract management or deeper irregularities.

Integrated Command and Control Centres (ICCCs) are a flagship component of the Smart Cities Mission, consolidating CCTV surveillance, sensor networks, traffic management, utility monitoring, and emergency response into a single platform. These systems collect substantial volumes of data about citizens' movements and activities. RTI can be used to ask:

The categories of data collected by the ICCC (CCTV, sensor, traffic, utility, Wi-Fi usage, etc.)
The data retention period for each category before it is deleted or archived
The list of agencies — Central, State, ULB, or private — with which ICCC data is shared, and the legal instrument (MoU, agreement, or statutory provision) authorising each sharing arrangement
Whether any private technology vendor has access to raw or processed ICCC data, and on what terms
The citizen grievance mechanism available for data misuse complaints

These are policy-level records that cannot be withheld on privacy grounds and are essential for public oversight of urban surveillance infrastructure.

How to File RTI for Smart Cities Mission

Filing is straightforward through the Central RTI portal:

Visit rtionline.gov.in and click Submit Request
Select the ministry: Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs
Select the public authority: Smart Cities Mission (or Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs if the specific Smart Cities Mission option is not listed separately)
Draft your application with your full name, address, and specific questions. Be precise: name the city, the SPV, the project, the financial year, and any reference numbers you have
Pay ₹10 online. BPL cardholders are fully exempt and should state their BPL card number and issuing authority in the application
Submit and note your registration number for tracking and future reference

Appeals

First Appeal (Section 19(1)): If the CPIO at MoHUA does not respond within 30 days, provides an incomplete response, or denies information, file a First Appeal with the First Appellate Authority (FAA) designated at the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. The First Appeal must be filed within 30 days of the date of decision or expiry of the 30-day response period, whichever is applicable.

Second Appeal (Section 19(3)): If the FAA's response is absent or unsatisfactory, file a Second Appeal with the Central Information Commission (CIC) within 90 days of the FAA's decision or the expiry of the FAA's response period. MoHUA is a Central Government ministry — second appeal in all cases goes to the CIC, not any State Information Commission.

The CIC can direct disclosure of information, award compensation to the applicant, and impose a penalty of up to ₹25,000 on the CPIO under Section 20 of the RTI Act if information was withheld without reasonable cause or the CPIO failed to respond within the prescribed period.

Sample RTI Application Draft

To,
The Central Public Information Officer (CPIO),
Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs,
Nirman Bhawan, New Delhi – 110011

Subject: Application under the Right to Information Act, 2005 — Smart Cities Mission: Project Expenditure, Tender Records, Contractor Details, Completion Timeline, and ICCC Data Policy

Sir/Madam,

I, [Your Full Name], a citizen of India, submit this application under Section 6 of the Right to Information Act, 2005, to seek the following information pertaining to the Smart Cities Mission as administered by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs:

City / Smart City SPV reference: [Name of the city and its Smart City Special Purpose Vehicle, e.g., "Pune Smart City Development Corporation Ltd." / "Varanasi Smart City Ltd."]
Project / Component reference (if applicable): [Project name or description, e.g., "Smart Road on Ring Road Phase I" / "ICCC installation" / "Solar-powered streetlights in Zone 3"]

Information sought:

1. Project-wise expenditure: Please provide, for the Smart City SPV of [City Name], a statement of expenditure for the period [Financial Year(s), e.g., "2019–20 to 2024–25"] showing: (a) the name and brief description of each project approved under the Smart Cities Mission; (b) the approved project cost; (c) the total amount released by MoHUA as Central Government funds; (d) the total amount utilised as on the date of this application; and (e) the balance unspent, if any.

2. Tender award records: For the project described as "[Project Name / Component]" (or, if no specific project is named, for any five projects of the highest approved cost in [City Name] Smart City SPV): (a) the Notice Inviting Tender (NIT) number and date; (b) the name and registered address of the entity to which the work was awarded; (c) the tender value at the time of award; (d) the date of work order; and (e) whether the award was through open competitive tender, limited tender, or any other procurement method, and if not open tender, the reasons recorded for adopting the alternative method.

3. Contractor / implementing agency details: For each tender identified in point 2 above: (a) the full name, CIN (Company Identification Number), and registered address of the awarded contractor or implementing agency; (b) whether the contractor is on any MoHUA or Smart Cities Mission blacklist or debarment list as on the date of this application; and (c) the name and designation of the Project Management Consultant (PMC), if any, engaged for supervision of the project.

4. Project completion timeline: For the project described as "[Project Name / Component]" (or the same five projects identified under point 2): (a) the scheduled start date and scheduled completion date as per the work order; (b) the actual date of commencement of work; (c) the current status of the project as on the date of this application (e.g., tendering stage, under construction, substantially complete, commissioned); (d) whether any time extension has been granted — if yes, the number of extensions, the revised completion date, and the reasons recorded for each extension; and (e) whether any liquidated damages have been levied on the contractor and, if yes, the amount.

5. ICCC data sharing and retention policy: With respect to the Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) established or being established in [City Name] under the Smart Cities Mission: (a) the categories of data being collected by the ICCC (e.g., CCTV footage, sensor data, traffic data, utility metering data, public Wi-Fi usage data); (b) the data retention period specified for each category of data; (c) the agencies or departments (Central, State, or ULB) with which ICCC data is shared, and the legal authority or agreement under which each such sharing occurs; (d) whether any private vendor or technology company has access to raw or processed ICCC data, and if yes, the name of the company and the terms governing such access; and (e) the grievance / complaint mechanism available to citizens who believe their data has been misused.

6. Pan-city proposal implementation status: Please provide the list of pan-city proposals approved for [City Name] Smart City as part of the Smart City Proposal (SCP), along with the current implementation status of each (approved, tendered, under implementation, completed, cancelled) and the expected date of completion for proposals still under implementation.

I am enclosing the application fee of Rs. 10 [via online payment on rtionline.gov.in; Reference No.: [Payment Ref]].

I request the above information within 30 days as required under Section 7(1) of the RTI Act, 2005.

Yours sincerely,

[Your Full Name]
[Your Complete Address]
Phone: [Your 10-digit Mobile Number]
Email: [[email protected]]
Date: [DD/MM/YYYY]

Replace all text in [square brackets] with your actual details before filing. Do not include the brackets in your submission.

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