Central Government announced 13 more smart cities from as many States.
Lucknow topped the list of winners of the Fast Track competition conducted for 23 cities from as many States and Union Territories.
The cities that participated in the competition improved the quality of smart city plans by up to over 25% to become eligible for selection.
With the selection of these 13 cities, 25 States/UTs are now covered under Smart City Mission
On the occasion, Union Urban Development Minister Venkiah Naidu released a publication ‘Urban Renaissance : May 2014 – May 2016’ giving a detailed account of paradigm shift in attitudes and approaches to urban planning and governance and the major drivers of urban revival and transformation set in motion during the last two years.
13 winners of Fast Track competition were:
- Lucknow (UP),
- Warangal, Telanagana,
- Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh,
- Chandigarh,
- Raipur, Chattisgarh,
- New Town Kolkata,
- Bhagalpur, Bihar,
- Panaji, Goa,
- Port Blair, Andaman & Nicobar Islands,
- Imphal, Manipur,
- Ranchi, Jharkhand,
- Agartala, Tripura,
- Faridabad, Haryana.
These 13 cities have substantially improved their smart city plans by addressing the deficiencies identified in the first round of competition by ensuring better profiling of respective cities in terms of infrastructure gaps and baseline service levels, ensuring consistency between citizens’ aspirations and action plans, more feasible resource mobilization plans and coordinated and integrated picture of how individual projects will contribute to area level changes.
For the first time in the country, 98 smart cities and 497 Atal Mission cities accounting for over 70% of urban population now have long term five year action plans based on comprehensive analysis of infrastructure gaps.
SMART CITIES:
A ‘smart city’ is an urban region that is highly advanced in terms of overall infrastructure, sustainable real estate, communications and market viability.
It is a city where information technology is the principal infrastructure and the basis for providing essential services to residents.
There are many technological platforms involved, including but not limited to automated sensor networks and data centres.
The core infrastructure in a smart city would include:
- Adequate water supply
- Assured electricity supply
- Sanitation, including solid waste management
- Efficient urban mobility and public transport
- Affordable housing, especially for the poor
- Robust IT connectivity and digitalisation
- Good governance, especially e-Governance and citizen participation
- Sustainable environment
- Safety and security of citizens, particularly women, children and the elderly
- Health and education
