November Will See Smart City Projects Gaining Speed

Come November and 261 projects worth Rs 31,000 crore will witness a momentum as the Centre directs states to fasten the work on them. Durga Shanker Mishra, Secretary (Housing & Urban Affairs) wrote to the chief secretaries of all the states and union territories to focus on these projects.

The first batch of projects to be introduced in the first list of Smart Cities that were declared in 2016 include the following:

• Bhopal bags the highest funds of Rs 3,000 crore for the redevelopment 340 acres in the city.
• Intermodal Transport Hub and Slum Rehabilitation-related work estimated at Rs 961 crore.
• Market development in Raipur amounting to Rs 1,026 crore.
• Bhubaneswar's railway station and multi-modal hub worth Rs 845 crore.
• Infrastructure development and parking-related developments in Indore at a cost of Rs 679 crore.
• Brahmaputra River Front Development-related work in Assam is estimated to account for Rs 532 crore.
• Lake development and non-motorised transport infrastructure work in Coimbatore is expected to amount to Rs 526 crore.
• Area development with water, sewerage and road infrastructure and underground cabling in Udaipur work is estimated to cost Rs 450 crore.
• Kalyan Station Improvement along the Kalyan-Dombivilli (Maharashtra) is sanctioned Rs 427 crore.
• Rejuvenation of Mandakki Bhatti in Davanagere is estimated to take up Rs 373 crore.
• Beach Redevelopment and Shore Protection in Vishakapatnam will cost Rs 365 crore,
• Affordable housing in Chandigarh's Sector 43 will amount to Rs 321 crore.
• Jabalpur's River Front Development and Green development of Institutional Zone will need Rs 310 crore.
• Rs 235 crore has been allocated for the River Front Development and Heritage City Museum in Pune.
• Taj Orientation Centre-related work in Agra will cost Rs 232 crore.
• Convention Centre needs to be developed in Varanasi and is estimated to cost Rs 211 crore.
• Logistic Park and smart redevelopment of existing creek in Surat will amount to Rs 210 crore.
• In Lucknow, the Heritage projects, Cultural Hub and Library will cost Rs 160 crore.
• Talkatora Lake Development in Jaipur is estimated to cost Rs 130 crore.
• Brahmani Riverfront Development in Rourkela is another project that is to be built at a cost of Rs 129 crore.

Other projects include Kochi's Broadway Market and Ernakulam Market Redevelopment, Rejuvenation of Siddheshwar Lake and Heritage structures in Solapur, Commercial Development of Yahswant Place in NDMC region, Space development along canal between Indrapalem Lock and Jagannaickpur Old in Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh, Kanbargi Lake Rejuvenation and recreational spaces in Belgavi, Pedestrian Plaza in Chennai, Retrofitting of Sarabha Nagar Market in Ludhiana, Redevelopment of Kacchari Adda and Kotwali Bazar in Dharmashala and Badkal Lake Rejuvenation in Faridabad.

Here are some recent updates:

Australia lends a helping hand

A 35-member Australian delegation has discussed business opportunities with the authorities and the NITI Aayog officials to understand how they could put their know-how to develop the infrastructure, smart cities, infrastructure, water and waste management among others in Indian smart cities.

More funds pour in

Smart Cities have been doing the rounds for a long time now. In order to motivate the state governments to expedite the work, the Centre has planned to roll out another Rs 3,700 crore as incentives. As many as 79 projects worth Rs 941 crore have been completed so far.

Eyes on 2018

The Economic Survey suggests that by 2018, only one-fifth of smart city projects would be completed. "In the best-case scenario, an additional 920 projects for which detailed project reports (DPRs) have already been prepared worth Rs 24,526 crore are estimated to be completed by the end of 2018 provided all timelines are adhered to," the survey read.

Pune to get a bigger lift

The Pune Smart City will cover more area now, claim reports. This would mean an additional cost of Rs 2,196 crore but would then be able to work on features such as Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system, bicycle lanes, solid waste management and street redesign as these couldn't be possible due to restrictions in the area provided previously.