Centre asks states to focus on impactful and PPP-based smart city projects

Bhubaneswar railway station model

New Delhi: Work on a Railway Station Multi-modal Hub in Bhubaneswar is likely to be fast-tracked with the Centre asking the state to focus on early implementation of smart city projects that have a visible and transformative impact on lives of citizens. It will come up with an investment of Rs 845 crore.

Further to review of Smart City Mission by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during PRAGATI on August 30, Durga Shanker Mishra, Secretary (Housing & Urban Affairs), wrote to the Chief Secretaries of all the States and Union Territories in this regard the following day.

Mishra urged the States and UTs to ensure commencement of work by November this year on 261 impactful smart city projects in 60 cities that were announced during January-September 2016. These identified projects accounts for an investment of Rs 31,112 cr . States and UTs have also been asked to speed up work on 370 PPP projects that involve an investment of Rs 32,410 cr.

Besides the hub in Bhubaneswar, the impactful projects identified range from building 40 outdoor fitness centres in New Delhi Municipal Council area at a cost of Rs.1.31 cr to redevelopment of 340 acre in Bhopal at a cost of Rs.3,000 cr.

Some of the major PPP smart city projects are: Bhubaneswar (Affordable housing-Rs.840 cr), Raipur (Urban Plaza at Ganj Mandi-Rs.983 cr), Bilaspur (Markets development –Rs.1,241 cr), Amritsar (Urban space development –Rs.1,028 cr), Coimbattore (Water supply -557 cr), Warangal, Telangana (Bus stand-Rs.611 cr), Shimla (Tourism and recreation infrastructure- Rs.898 cr), Aligarh (Smart multi-level parking-Rs.289 cr), Bengaluru (Tourism and recreation infrastructure-Rs.234 cr) and Pune (Electrical buses- Rs.170 cr).