Smart Cities tag a long wait is here
Every state government has to evaluate all cities/towns in that state based on these criteria and nominate the top performers as per the number assigned to each state, Hubballi-Dharwad, Belagavi, Shimoga, Tumakuru, Davanagere and Mangaluru have been evaluated and Belagavi is in the top 6 cities.
While states will select a total of 100 cities, only 20 will be picked for the first stage of the smart city project this financial year. The remaining 80, in the proposed 100 smart city plan, will join the club in two equal batches of 40 each in the following two years.
In the first phase, Centre will pick 20 cities and in the next two years 40 cities each will be selected for receiving central funding of Rs 500 crore spread over the next five years. So, eventually all the cities and municipal areas nominated for this scheme will be developed as smart cities.
Cities with better capability to implement projects and generate their own resources have been selected. It’s a move towards transparency and fair competition where none can influence the selection process.
According to the guidelines of the scheme, the objective is to promote cities which provide core infrastructure and give a decent quality of life to its citizens, a clean and sustainable environment and application of “smart” solutions. “The focus is on sustainable and inclusive development and the idea is to look at compact areas, create a replicable model which will act like a light house to other aspiring cities
While stage one involved an intra-city competition, for the final selection, all the cities would have to participate in a “city challenge” to be held in September. The number of cities that each state could select is based on a formula that gives a 50:50 weightage to a state’s population and the number of statutory towns.
The timeline for completing the smart city project has not been defined, but the entire process for 100 cities could take a decade or more.
The Smart Cities project aims – A city equipped with basic infrastructure to give a decent quality of life, a clean and sustainable environment through application of some smart solutions.
Assured water and electricity supply, sanitation and solid waste management, efficient urban mobility and public transport, robust IT connectivity, e-governance and citizen participation, safety and security of citizens.
Public information, grievance redressal, electronic service delivery, citizens’ engagement, waste to energy & fuel, waste to compost, 100% treatment of waste water, smart meters & management, monitoring water quality, renewable source of energy, efficient energy and green building, smart parking, intelligent traffic management system.