Bhubaneswar Is No. 1, None From Mumbai Region
Lutyens' zone, already the
nation's envy for the benefits it enjoys, has made it to the list of 20
cities which are to be turned into Smart Cities as part of the Modi
government's ambitious urban modernization programme. The list
released on Thursday saw Bhubaneswar emerge on top with a Rs 4,500 crore
plan to retrofit and redevelop 985 acres around the railway station
with modern amenities.
The race for inclusion in the Smart City league--a concept centred on provision of basic amenities such as 24X7 power and drinking water supply as well as contemporary attributes like e-governance and IT infrastructure--saw Madhya Pradesh bagging the maximum three spots, while populous states such as UP , Bengal and Bihar failed to make it in the first round. Varanasi, the PM's own Lok Sabha constituency , failed to make the grade, finishing with the second most disappointing score among 97 contenders.
All the 4 entries from Mumbai--Greater Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Thane and Kalyan-Dombivli--could not make the cut either. New Kolkata, Gandhinagar and Vadodara also missed out.
For the national capital, initially, the scheme will be focused on “retrofitting“ 550 acres in and around Connaught Place in what will mark a big push to the historical shopping district which has just overcome decades of decay to re-emerge as a hot spot. In all, 23 states failed to find a place, something which do es not address the concern about urbanization deficit and led Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu to give them a second shot by April.Each state will submit the improved proposal of their highest ranking cities for this round of selection. By 2017, the Centre intends to identify 100 cities to be taken up for the programme.
The 20 cities which feature in the first list are expected to spend almost Rs 51,000 crore to upgrade the quality of life--a generous step-up of allocation of funds for upgradation of a significant urban swathe even if some of the projects would have possibly been taken up in normal course.
The concept of Smart City marks a big departure from the traditional municipal body-led model of urban development to one marked by corporate features such as a CEO who can even be drafted from the private sector and will have job security , a special purpose vehicle route for raising funds and execution of the development plan.
Unlike in the past, when the burden of development was on the states and the Centre, this time over 60% of the resources are proposed to be generated by the cities concerned. The selection of cities has been influenced by their capacity to deliver as determined on the basis of their past performance and financial strength.
Importantly , only one of the 20, Kochi, will focus on taking up a green project. This might mean the revival of the localities which are groaning under burgeoning population and are hamstrung by woefully inadequate infrastructure for current and future requirements.
The selected cities will get Central funding of Rs 500 crore each in the next five years and states will put up an equal amount to kick-start the project roll-out. Almost 60% of the investment will come in the form of private investment and innovative mechanism that the cities will adopt.
To begin with only selected areas in the cities proposed by the municipal bodies will be developed or redeveloped within two to five years. “These will work as catalysts and will become lighthouse to expand similar projects or work to make cities better,“ Naidu said.
Congratulating the win ners, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “I wish the cities the very best as they move forward with implementation and transform urban India.“
Sources said since this is one of major flagship projects announced by the PM, cabinet secretary P K Sinha will interact with all the chief secretaries and Smart City mission heads besides the 97 municipal commissioners on Friday for effec tive roll-out of the mission.
The cities have been selected through a transparent mechanism of scoring and through an open challenge, the first of its kind in India and possibly in the world. “It is also the first time that the government is investing funds in urban development on the basis of a competitive selection,“ an urban development ministry spokesperson said.
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The race for inclusion in the Smart City league--a concept centred on provision of basic amenities such as 24X7 power and drinking water supply as well as contemporary attributes like e-governance and IT infrastructure--saw Madhya Pradesh bagging the maximum three spots, while populous states such as UP , Bengal and Bihar failed to make it in the first round. Varanasi, the PM's own Lok Sabha constituency , failed to make the grade, finishing with the second most disappointing score among 97 contenders.
All the 4 entries from Mumbai--Greater Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Thane and Kalyan-Dombivli--could not make the cut either. New Kolkata, Gandhinagar and Vadodara also missed out.
For the national capital, initially, the scheme will be focused on “retrofitting“ 550 acres in and around Connaught Place in what will mark a big push to the historical shopping district which has just overcome decades of decay to re-emerge as a hot spot. In all, 23 states failed to find a place, something which do es not address the concern about urbanization deficit and led Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu to give them a second shot by April.Each state will submit the improved proposal of their highest ranking cities for this round of selection. By 2017, the Centre intends to identify 100 cities to be taken up for the programme.
The 20 cities which feature in the first list are expected to spend almost Rs 51,000 crore to upgrade the quality of life--a generous step-up of allocation of funds for upgradation of a significant urban swathe even if some of the projects would have possibly been taken up in normal course.
The concept of Smart City marks a big departure from the traditional municipal body-led model of urban development to one marked by corporate features such as a CEO who can even be drafted from the private sector and will have job security , a special purpose vehicle route for raising funds and execution of the development plan.
Unlike in the past, when the burden of development was on the states and the Centre, this time over 60% of the resources are proposed to be generated by the cities concerned. The selection of cities has been influenced by their capacity to deliver as determined on the basis of their past performance and financial strength.
Importantly , only one of the 20, Kochi, will focus on taking up a green project. This might mean the revival of the localities which are groaning under burgeoning population and are hamstrung by woefully inadequate infrastructure for current and future requirements.
The selected cities will get Central funding of Rs 500 crore each in the next five years and states will put up an equal amount to kick-start the project roll-out. Almost 60% of the investment will come in the form of private investment and innovative mechanism that the cities will adopt.
To begin with only selected areas in the cities proposed by the municipal bodies will be developed or redeveloped within two to five years. “These will work as catalysts and will become lighthouse to expand similar projects or work to make cities better,“ Naidu said.
Congratulating the win ners, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “I wish the cities the very best as they move forward with implementation and transform urban India.“
Sources said since this is one of major flagship projects announced by the PM, cabinet secretary P K Sinha will interact with all the chief secretaries and Smart City mission heads besides the 97 municipal commissioners on Friday for effec tive roll-out of the mission.
The cities have been selected through a transparent mechanism of scoring and through an open challenge, the first of its kind in India and possibly in the world. “It is also the first time that the government is investing funds in urban development on the basis of a competitive selection,“ an urban development ministry spokesperson said.
To know more about Masters PMC, visit - www.masterspmc.com
Contact us - +91 22 64567600
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