Indian Smart Cities and villages projects

[BolliBatlu]

French company to sign MoU today to develop UT as smart city

Chandigarh: The Agence Francaise D Development (AFD), a French government entity, will be the company that will develop Chandigarh as a smart city. The representatives of the company have arrived in Chandigarh to sign the documents with both the Chandigarh administration as well as the Pondicherry government at state's guest house on Saturday. The documents will be exchanged before French President and India Prime Minister at hotel Taj on Sunday.

CII summit will help Andhra Pradesh develop, say Vizagites

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New Modern Buildwell: Conceiving a new India

Many developers around the country are now taking a leaf out of the government's Smart Cities Mission and launching variants. One such city that is coming up is Navyug Smart Mini City in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh.

Says P.N. Misra, Chairman and Managing Director, New Modern Buildwell Pvt Ltd (NMBPL), which is promoting Navyug Smart Mini City: "Every home will be a smart home. We will ensure that every drop of water is recycled and reused, rainwater will be harvested, solar energy will be fully utilised and there will be modern waste disposal systems."

A former government officer, Misra has been on virtually every government committee related to the setting up of smart cities. "Ours is a greenfield smart city, one of the first in the country," he says. "We're creating this smart mini city on 15 acres of land in Allahabad. It will ultimately have 3.2 million square feet of built-up area."

The Navyug Smart Mini City will feature gated, 24/7 security, regular power supply with back-up, abundant potable water, management of disposal of household waste, self-sustained sewage treatment plant and waste recycling facility, elevated walkways, self-sustaining maintenance and running of services, best available ICT solutions, and world-class connectivity to attract professionals.

Misra says construction of the first phase has begun and residents will move in over the next couple of years. The mini city will comprise 1,600 flats and ultimately have a population of about 10,000 residents.

[BolliBatlu]

Chandigarh will turn out to be 'ideal Smart City': Solanki

Efforts are also being made for providing round-the-clock water and power supply and ensuring environmental protection in the city which was selected in the first phase of the Centre's ambitious 'Smart City' initiative, added Solanki, who is also the UT Administrator.

"Steps are being taken to make Chandigarh a smart city. These include e-Sampark, e-Jan Sampark, M-Sampark, e-Stamping, e-Education, e-Campus, e-Saksham, e-Payment and Gram Sampark. We have also formulated three projects which will be the lifeline of this city.

France to help in developing three Smart Cities in India

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Multi-modal hub to be set up in Sahibganj, says Nitin Gadkari

"The Rs 534-crore multi-modal hub in Sahibganj will become the growth engine for Jharkhand," the minister told a press conference here.

Stating that Sahibganj would become a Smart City, he said work on a bridge over the Ganga in Sahibganj would start by March this year.

The ministry will set up three multi-modal hubs in the country ...

Will India's experiment with smart cities tackle poverty – or make it worse?

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Smart cities winner full list: Check if your city makes it to the list of top 20

1.Bhubaneswar (Odisha) –
2. Pune (Maharashtra)
3. Jaipur (Rajasthan)
4. Surat (Gujarat)
5. Kochi (kerala)
6. Ahmedabad (Gujarat)
7. Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh)
8.Visakhapatnam (AndhraPreadesh)
9. Solapur (Maharashtra)
10. Davanagere (Karnataka)
11. Indore ( Madhya Pradesh)
12. NDMC (Delhi)
13. Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu)
14. Kakinada (Andhra Pradesh)
15. Belagavi (Karnataka)
16. Udaipur (Rajasthan)
17. Guwahati (Assam)
18. Chennai (Tamil Nadu)
19. Ludhiana (Punjab)
20. Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh)

[BolliBatlu]

Govt. announces list of first 20 smart cities under 'Smart Cities Mission'

There is a map with the news. Most of Smart cities fall under proposed industrial corridors with a few exceptions.

Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor - NDMC, Jaipur, Udaipur, Ahmedabad, Surat
Chennai-Kolkatta Industrial Corridor - Chennai, Kakinada, Vishakhapatnam, Bhubaneswar
Mumbai-Bangalore Industrial Corridor - Pune, Belagavi, Davanagere
Chennai-Kochi Industrial Corridor - Chennai, Coimbatore, Kochi

Exceptions - Solapur, Gauwahati, Jabalpur, Indore, Bhopal, Ludhiana. But even these are close to North-South or East-West Corridors.

What a coincidence!


NDTV

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20 cities account for 3.54 crore people
4 Capitals, 12 States: India's Top 20 Smart Cities In Numbers
Odisha capital tops Smart City list
No UP city in top-20 list of Smart City challenge
SPV for smart city project within 15 days: MP government

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Smart City contest a big lesson cities who could not make to top 20

Cabinet Secretary informed the 23 States and Union Territories who were not represented in the first list announced yesterday that they could participate in fast track competition by submitting upgraded smart city proposals of one top ranked city in each state and UT by April 15, 2016. The remaining 54 cities get to participate in round two of Smart City Challenge Competition, which is to begin on April 1, 2016. Shri Sinha said that in effect two more opportunities will be available in the next few months for more cities to be selected from other states and UTs.

Some cities and states that could not make to the first list of 20 observed that inherent and legacy issues like economic backwardness and urban governance proved to be the limitations and some special consideration may be given to such cities and states. To this, Cabinet Secretary responded saying that Smart City Challenge Competition and selection of cities is based mostly on the proposals for future development of cities and such limitations do not really affect their chances.

Smart City: Panaji stands chance to get to Round 2

Panaji: The state capital may not have made it to the first 20 cities to receive funding under the Smart City Challenge, but Panaji still stands a very strong chance of making it through to the second round. The central government on Friday released a list of 23 cities which have been invited to revise and fast track their proposals for submission before April 15 and Panaji stood fifth in the list, just over 2% short of the cut-off for the first list of 20 cities.

"They felt that many cities have come very close. Goa has been ranked at 52.99%. We are just below that 55.47% mark of the last city that qualified," corporation of the city of Panaji, commissioner, Sanjit Rodrigues, said. "Our work will start immediately and we have a very good chance. It is a no-brainer, we will get through the fast track round of 20 cities. Even if there is a deficiency or a correction, it is minor."

Rodrigues on Friday afternoon participated in a nationwide video conference where Union ministry of urban development sat with city authorities to identify and discuss shortcomings in the proposals that did not make the cut. The commissioner revealed that though the city scored high on people's participation and the elements of the proposal, it lost out due to funding issues and taxes.

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Smart city project: ULBs told to hire rating agency
‘Smart Cities’ mission: Selection done, it’s time for execution

China set to participate in India's smart city mission starting from Solapur
Jaipur: Special body created to execute smart city plan
Coimbatore's journey towards smart city begins
Surat civic body allocates 150cr for smart city project
Smart Cities list topper: The road ahead for Odisha’s capital
Ludhiana: Smart City project to benefit selected areas initially
Ludhiana: Smart city tag may not end fund crisis
Coimbatore: Many doubt city's ability to get 'smart'

Agra pipped to post by Lucknow in Smart Cities fast track round

Smart City scheme lacks clarity: NGO
Smart cities or safe cities?

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Modi's smart cities need over $150 billion investment: Study

Highlights

• According to Deloitte, nearly $120 billion will come from the private sector.
• Government recently announced list of first 20 cities to be developed as 'smart cities'.
• Reliance Jio likely to roll out Wi-Fi services across over 50 cities in 2016.
• Facebook working with BSNL to deploy Wi-Fi in 100 areas in rural India.

[BolliBatlu]

Originally Posted by BolliBatlu

It is important to notice that most of cities like Bhubaneswar, Pune, Jaipur, Surat, Kochi, Ahmedabad, Jabalpur, Vishakhapatnam, Solapur, Davanagere, Indore, New Delhi, Kakinada, Belagavi, Udaipur, Guwahati, Chennai, Ludhiana have opted for retrofitting. Bhopal opted for redevelopment. I could not verify Coimbatore.

Rawat government to re-send smart city proposal to Centre

Chief minister Harish Rawat, who held a meeting with senior officials here last evening to look into the factors responsible for Dehradun not making it to the first list, said the greenfield-based proposal should be sent once again to the Centre for approval.

"If it fails to get the Centre's nod a second time and it becomes clear that greenfield-based proposals for the ambitious project cannot be approved, the option of retrofitting can be explored in consultation with all stakeholders, including the municipal corporation," said an official release quoting Rawat.

So greenfield is ambitious, retrofitting is practical!

Smart Cities: Uttarakhand govt to re-send the proposal to Centre

Claiming that none of the cities which have made it to the first list had a greenfield-based proposal, Rawat said officials from Uttarakhand and other states whose proposals have not been approved have been summoned by the Centre for negotiations where it will be clear whether or not the state's proposal had any flaws or whether it needs some fine-tuning, Rawat said, adding if it is made clear that greenfield-based projects are not going to be approved, the state government is ready to consider the retrofitting option.

[BolliBatlu]

Smart Cities Mission takes forward step

By Amit Bhatt, Feb 1, 2016,

.............

List of surprises

While Bengaluru, Gurgaon and Patna were surprise omissions from the Smart Cities race, as the respective state governmen-ts deemed other cities more competitive for the national challenge, the 20 shortlisted cities also have quite a few surprises.

The biggest surprise was the fact that Bhubaneswar topped the challenge with 78.83 per cent marks followed by Pune (77.42 per cent) and Jaipur (73.83 per cent). In fact, the top 20 cities list was dominated by tier II and III cities, with only Delhi and Chennai representing the metros of the country.

Lesser known names like Davanagere, Kakinada, Belagavi outweighed many big cities like Howrah and Hyderabad, who failed to make it to the top 20. Ludhiana is the only city from the northern and eastern belt of the country. Guwahati is the only city from the north-eastern states, suggesting it was much better prepared than its peers.

As part of the competition, the cities had to submit area and city-wide development projects aimed at improving the quality of life for citizens by engaging with them and addressing their needs, and building capacity amongst city officials by moving towards e-governance and the use of technology.

Cities were asked to develop holistic city development plans with a vision for zero emissions and zero waste, and funding would be provided to pursue strategic infrastructure projects. Priority sectors were identified, with Rs 100 crore of financial assistance from the Centre for five years and a matching contribution from state governments. Cities were asked to submit proposals that would not merely change, but transform them. The Rs 100 crore should be seen as initial capital that can be leveraged for this transformation.

India is currently one-third urbanised. Global trends have shown that urbanisation stabilises at 75-80 per cent mark. This means two-third of urban India is yet to be built, which gives us the opportunity to get it right.

Choosing the right implementation framework for smart cities is critical. Creating the framework from cities to compete is a great idea but the real success would d(The writer is Director Transport, WRI – EMBARQ India)epend of the implementation. Nevertheless, a good start has been made.

(The writer is Director Transport, WRI – EMBARQ India)

A Mission to Transform the Nation through Cities
Smart city project: Smart Pune possible only in 10 years, says CM Devendra Fadnavis

Will India’s experiment with smart cities tackle poverty – or make it worse?
Is Smart City just a new name for an old idea- and can it work in India?
Smart Cities plan, a dynamic move
With smart cities underway, India’s stand among global nations would significantly improve

Ahmedabad yet to learn last mile smartness
Pune lessons for Mumbai in efficient waste management
Soon, terrace farming must in Jaipur?
Dehradun: Govt to include PRTS in reworked smart city plan

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Urban infrastructure building offers Rs 73 lakh crore investment opportunity for private sector: M.Venkaiah Naidu

Expressing hope that private sector and PPP investments can be mobilized to address the infrastructure challenge, M.Venkaiah Naidu informed that 10 of the 20 smart cities announced last week have laid down clear road maps for mobilizing PPP investments of about Rs 9,000 crore. These include : Jaipur-Rs 2563 crore, Belgavi (Karnatak)-Rs 1,006 crore, Davanagere (Karnataka) and New Delhi Municipal Council-Rs 797 crore each.

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Winning City Proposals in Round 1 of City Challenge (Jan, 2016)

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Chandigarh to hire consulting agency for Smart City plan

UT home secretary Anurag Agarwal, who held a meeting with the MoUD officials on Friday, told TOI, "We have decided to hire an experienced consultancy agency to revise our Smart City proposal and we have discussed the matter with the MoUD in this regard. The agency will be hired soon after proper assessment and fulfilling other required procedure. Though our proposal is a good one and even better in many areas then other states, we do not want to leave any thing out. We want to prepare the project in a manner so that even after selection, we do not have to do much and things can be moved ahead without any additional exercise."

As the Centre has already given 2 crore fund to the Chandigarh administration to prepare the Smart City project, the UT administration doesn't have the problem of finance in this regard. "We don't have any problem in terms of finance for hiring a consultancy agency and preparing a revised plan. We have already received the amount for the purpose," Agarwal added.

Significantly, the French government agency that had signed MoU with Chandigarh, Nagpur and Puducherry to help them to convert these cities into Smart Cities, will also provide expert suggestions to Chandigarh to revise the project. Sources revealed that even all selected 20 cities will have to make some modification, as the MoUD has asked these cities to give their comments in this regard.

[BolliBatlu]

Kochi SmartCity power plant inaugurated

Kochi: The first power plant at Kochi SmartCity with a capacity of 11KV and an investment of Rs90 million (Dh4.86 million) was inaugurated on Sunday in order to provide immediate power supply to the first phase of the ambitious IT project once it begins operations.

[BolliBatlu]

DICDL to implement India’s largest green-field Smart City in Dholera

With Larsen & Toubro being awarded the Rs. 1,734-crore EPC contract, work on the construction of ancient port-city of Dholera in Gujarat, touted as India’s largest green-field smart city under the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) is all set to role out with a SPV created to manage the new township on a sustainable basis.

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How smart is the plan for Smart cities? The Statesman columnist

The framework for effective operation too poses problems involving multiple stakeholders. Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) will have to deal with tricky aspects of co-ordination and convergence of myriad strands and whether they will be well equipped for them will have to be tested out. Moreover, it is somewhat disappointing to observe that the SPVs have been saddled with tiers-upon-tiers of monitoring and supervisory structures. They start from the ground up and traverse all the way to the National Apex Committee and appear to carry the portents of hobbling an efficient roll-out and a dynamic, optimal run.

The somewhat stale stench of the past cannot but hit one here. Time is of the essence. To be given only five years for execution with the humongous ground work called for in terms of fine-tuning specific components, mobilising significant resources in the innovative manner contemplated, obtaining clearances, putting in place nuanced eco-systems and credible architecture of support, promises to be daunting. To hit the ground running is not what the Indian development story has been about. The first full-fledged review is not mandated till the next two years. But for now cheers to smartness and to the project not morphing into the proverbial albatross!

Smart Cities : A Flawed Beginning
“A private takeover of public space”: Will India's smart cities experiment really help tackle poverty?
India’s cities are faced with a severe waste management crisis

Smart Cities Mission Suffers From Serious Flaws

There is a far better alternative available for use in the distribution formula instead of the flawed criteria of statutory towns. This is the criteria of census towns.

Cities like Pasighat would not have been in list if census was the criteria.

As per Article 1 of the Constitution, India is a ‘Union of States’. Instead of 20, the number could have been increased to 36 and the entire country would have benefitted by allocating one to each State and UT.

Who knows how these states are divided and why UT should exist? Even the cities have come up at random points of country without doing justice for population distribution or available resources criteria. Cities with plenty of natural resources should had been made smart and allowed to grow population-wise. Better would have been to divide India to 100 parts of equal population and to give one smart city to each best performing city being selected within that area, first round being competion within 5 parts to select a city for first 20 cities list. But no point in complaining now.

a separate category in the Smart Cities Mission called ‘Smart Metropolis’.

Should had given stress for satellite towns for Metropolis which was what the government said earlier.

Greening our 'Smart' cities

Can the abbreviation SMART stand for Small, Manageable, Accountable, Replicable and Transparent?

Ahmedabad let's get smart - link fee to parking demand
Rourkela eyes smart city tag in third list
Hyderabad: A graft free smart city

The future of transportation design in India
Bosch Brings the Connected Vehicle to India
Trimax targets inclusive IT advances

Urban infra sector offers Rs 73 lakh crore for private players
Public sector builder NBCC to tap opportunity in 5-7 smart cities

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U.K. firms keen to build hospitals in Smart Cities

In the backdrop of the joint statement issued by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his British counterpart David Cameron in London November last, the delegation expressed their interest in investing in healthcare infrastructure that Smart City projects aspire to build. Mr. Modi and Mr. Cameroon had agreed to support opening of 11 Indo-UK Institutes of Health in India with an investment of £1 billion.

Smart cafe: Smart City race kicks off with 20 cities

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Smart city proposal: Baroda fared worst among six cities

Officials pointed out that the analysis of documents submitted by other cities that are available online revealed that the city had lagged behind on two fronts. "Many cities have laid a higher stress on public-private partnership as compared to us. Also, the engagement of citizens to gather their opinions and inputs was higher in some others," said an official. He added that the city was also expecting that a presentation by officials as planned earlier would take place, but this did not happen.

SPV will ensures timely execution of Smart City Plans: Venkaiah Naidu
Smart City list kicks off funding for the top 20: From what’s next to who gains, all you wanted to know in 5 points

US keen to participate in all 100 Smart City projects