IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

Meghalaya will try to get additional funds for the Smart City project even as the agreement is for equal share between the Centre and the state government.

Urban and Municipal Affairs Minister Hamlet Dohling said additional funds will have to be raised for the ambitious project.

Skywalks, better public transport system, garbage disposal, drainage system, water supply and free WiFi are some of the components of the project.

Officials asked to implement the Smart City guidelines so that it can benefit the people of Aizawl city

With an aim to improve the lifestyle of the people of Aizawl and turn the state capital city into a smart one, the Aizawl Smart City Mission was officially launched on Monday.

The Smart City Mission was launched during a programme held at the Secretariat Conference Hall in the New Capital Complex of Aizawl.

The number of projects completed increased manifold showing progress in one year what had not been achieved in the two years previous to it.

Ahead of the parliamentary elections, the Modi government’s ambitious flagship programme to “smarten” up 100 cities is finally showing some tangible results.

Overseen by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and meticulously monitored through a scientifically devised system by the housing and urban affairs ministry, the Smart City Mission has achieved in one year what it had not over the previous two years put together.

A large number of Smart City projects are still under implementation, while full complement of approvals and mobilisation of resources are yet to happen.

It may be recalled that development of smart cities was considered a key player in the direction of comprehensively developing physical, institutional, social and economic infrastructure of cities, all important in improving the quality of life and attracting people and investments to the city, thereby setting in motion a virtuous cycle of growth and development.

Chief Minister Nephiu Rio today informed that Kohima was selected as one of the 100 smart cities on September 20, 2016 and implementation of projects have begun in full swing.

Currently Kohima is ranked 1st among the 10 North East Smart Cities.

Under this project, along with the smart cities in the country the “100 days Smart City Special Initiative Campaign on Sanitation” was launched with special focus on awareness creation on plastic pollution and waste management with special emphasis on waste segregation and moving towards the practice of Zero Waste.

The catchy terminology of “smart city” 100 smart cities mission launched on 25th June 2015 for various states and union territories in the country can only be made smart with smart policy makers where, the mission future depends on how actively the state and civic bodies owns up responsibilities as they have to generate at least two time the fund allotted by the centre. Thus, the pattern of funding stipulated was 40:40:20: percent between centre, states and local municipal bodies could be a real joy killer to our ever happy begging state of Nagaland. The ideology of Narendra Modi the Prime Minister of India, was definitely for smart country but this colossal project involving astronomical figure of Rs. 2,87,143 crores as recommended by the “Smart city” commission and accepted by the govt. to be spent for the next five years can also be somersault to it vicious circle of penury if proper measure had not been adopted transparently.No doubt Nagas are adversely smart in manipulating and exploiting the loopholes and have the penchant to construct houses on the public road, irrationally protesting any project etc. could be the biggest stumbling-block to this “smart city” Project. Nay! This doesn’t means all the Nagas are bad, there are some exceptional virtue souls as well but looking at the present scenario of kohima city and its dismal roads where commuters started emptying their lunchbox on the road within a span of 7 K.M. or so, the tag of smart city doesn’t really augur well. Yes, only when we can make our vehicle move swiftly without potholes, uninterrupted power supply, sufficient potable water supply and efficient health infrastructures etc. not only our city but the whole Nagas would be smart.

The Kohima Smart City Development Limited (KSCDL) under Kohima Municipal Council (KMC) has come out with more than 60 projects for implementation of the Rs 1794.16 crore-Kohima Smart City Project.

Speaking during the technical session of one day media workshop “Vartalap” on identifying flagship programmes of the Central Government at Kohima yesterday KMC Administrator Kovi Meyase said that the Kohima town was selected as Smart City on September 20, 2016 during the second round of competition. The Kohima Smart City Development Ltd (KSCDL) was incorporated on March 24, 2017 under the Companies Act 2013. As per the Smart City Mission guidelines, the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) for KSCDL was constituted on March 9, 2017.

Now, dispose your plastic trash at the ‘plastic banks’ that have been set up at 4 critical locations in the hilly capital of Nagaland; 10 more likely to come up soon

Following the state's total ban on single-use plastic items in October, the Kohima Smart City Mission on Friday creatively installed 'plastic banks' across ‘critical locations' of the state capital with the hope to instill in minds the need to segregate and recycle plastic waste.

As part of the ‘streets for people challenge,’ Kohima Smart City Development Limited (KSCDL) has transformed the Old NST parking lot into an open street space for pedestrians and food vendors, as well as a sitting space for shoppers.

The initiative was undertaken to test how streets could be transformed into a happy, safe and inclusive space for everyone, stated the chief executive officer of KSCDL, Kovi Meyase, in a press statement issued on Saturday.

Nagaland Minister of Urban Development and Municipal Affairs, Metsubo Jamir said on Friday that a total of Rs 113 crore has been sanctioned for Kohima Smart City project.

Out of this amount, Rs 2 crore was sanctioned in advance for preparation of the Smart City proposal, while Rs 107 crore was sanctioned as part payment of project funds for the 1st year for the development of Kohima as a Smart City, Jamir elaborated.

There are plans to develop riverfront on the lines of Sabarmati Riverfront Development in Gujarat. Nashik is known for its religious places and the Goda project will certainly add value to the tourism sector in the city, says Prakash Thavil, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Nashik Municipal Smart City Development Corporation Limited (NMSCDCL), in conversation with Harshal Desai of Elets News Network (ENN).

The Delhi government has asked the New Delhi Municipal Council to select a consultant for its projects proposed under the central government’s Smart City scheme.

After an instruction from the Union Ministry of Urban Development, the NDMC, which services nearly 40 sqkm including the Lutyens’ Zone with imperial structures, has been told to float a request for proposal for detailed project report (DPR).

The government recognizes that managing the process of urbanization is increasingly important for the ongoing urban transformation. In this regard, NIUA has been set up with a mission to develop new research and expertise for supporting innovations in the urban sector and their dissemination through action research and advocacy, capacity building. Elaborates Hitesh Vaidya, Director, National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) in conversation with Poulami Chakraborty of BW SmartCities World.

The Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) entered into an agreement with Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) and exchanged an MoU on Smart City mission.

The MoU was exchanged during a Roundtable on CII National Mission on Smart Cities held here on Saturday. Regional Director, CII Eastern Region, Saugat Mukherjee and BMC Commissioner Dr Krishan Kumar inked the MoU. As per the agreement, CII will work with BMC and relevant stakeholders, including industry and civil society, in developing visions, setting goals and charting strategies on how to transform Bhubaneswar into world-class smart city.

The Rourkela city administration in tandem with Rourkela Municipal Corporation (RMC) has geared up for preparations of best Smart City Proposal (SCP) and city vision to find a place in the first list of 20 Smart Cities.

Although the second stage of competition in the category of ‘City Challenge’ poses a tough contest, the local administration is undeterred.

Sources said now each of the shortlisted smart cities has to prepare exceptional SCP and city vision based on creativity of municipal officials and other stakeholders with greater public participation. Among other things, the SCP and city vision should include development priorities and aspirations of citizens, available resources, sustainable and innovative solutions for problems with increased use of technology, e-governance to improve services and area-based development proposals.

The stars of the business world, who descended on Bhubaneswar for the second edition of the Make in Odisha conclave, must have been quite impressed with what they saw in the Smart City: freshly coated roads, smartly dressed traffic personnel, the swanky hotels, the glitzy shopping arcades and, last but not the least, the hi-tech extravaganza at the Janata Maidan, the venue for the star-studded event. Chances are some, if not all, of them have formed an opinion about the wonderful work that the ‘Maker of Modern Odisha’ has done to change the face of this benighted state from what they saw during their short stay in the city.

Have you lost your phone and want to make an emergency call or looking to charge your phone on the road? Well, the digital kiosk in the the smart city of Bhubaneswar will solve all your problems now.

The kiosk, which was developed by five engineering student-turned entrepreneurs, is called Human Interactive Interface Systems — HII-Systems or HII Bhubaneswar. It is equipped with a 55 inch display screen and is a combination of a smart digital kiosk and a digital billboard.

The Smart City Bhubaneswar has been chosen as the best digital payment innovator-2018 by the ministry of housing and urban affairs (MoHUA). The award is given for initiatives facilitating digital payment for services that the citizens avail. In August last year, 72 smart cities participated in Smart Cities Digital Payment Awards, 2018.

There were three categories of award, including Best Digital Payment Adopter, Best Digital Payment Innovator and Fastest Smart City Focusing on Digital Payments.

On Engineer’s Day, the Bhubaneswar Smart City Limited (BSCL) engineers were to come up with innovative approach so that the projects would be implemented quicker and in cost-effective manner.

Observing the birth anniversary of the noted engineer Mokshagundam Vishweshwariya, Sunday, in its office premises at BMC Bhawani Mall, BSCL recalled the contributions of one of the greatest engineers, India has ever produced.

Good news for netizens of Smart City Bhubaneswar as free Wi-Fi services will soon be made available across the city covering major streets, institutions and landmarks.

Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs Secretary Durga Shanker Mishra said this on his Twitter handle today.

“Bhubaneswar Smart City will soon have free Wi-Fi services across major streets, institutions & landmarks. This will surely be a step towards creating a connected city and bridge the digital divide amongst citizens,” Mishra tweeted.