The Union government on Thursday announced the top 20 list for the smart city project, but many of these cities would need to upgrade their proposals to qualify for the first round of Central funds.
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Bhubaneshwar, the capital of Odisha got the highest points among the selected cities and Bhopal the lowest.
“This announcement marks a paradigm shift in our approach to urban development in the country”, he added.
A total area of 26,735 acres has been identified by these cities for making them smart through necessary interventions, an official press release said.
In order to support development of smart cities, the Urban Development Ministry has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Bloomberg Philanthropies, which will work as Knowledge Partner and support development and execution of a Cities Challenge under the Smart Cities Mission. “The investment of Rs 50,802 crore has been proposed in selected smart cities and towns during the five-year period”, said Venkaiah Naidu.
Further stating that the Smart City plans have been prepared by the Urban Local Bodies and the States, he added, “The results of the competition revealed the unrecognised strength of the federal structure in our country”.
CM tweeted, “Congratulate Bhubaneswar citizens & the team for securing first position amongst Smart Cities”. This will include uninterrupted clean water and power supply, high-speed internet, good quality roads, sustainable public transport, efficient waste disposal, affordable housing along with digitised public services.
In all, some 26,735 acres in the selected 20 cities will be taken up for improvement.
As part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s plan, the incumbent government will build 100 smart cities in India.
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Secondly, the Smart Cities project is more of a smart neighbourhood plan, with the aim of that area being an example for the rest of the city, and the state as well.
