Kerala Kozhikode economy, business and finance social infrastructure Centre’s flagship urban development programme to be launched this month
Kozhikode is likely to miss the Centre’s ambitious smart city project. One of the major reasons cited is that the civic body failed to make efforts to meet the criteria fixed and submit a report in this regard.It will be a major embarrassment for Kozhikode when Prime Minister Narendra Modi launches the Centre’s flagship urban development programme later this month.
Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Kochi, Thrissur, and Kozhikode Corporations and Malappuram and Kannur municipalities have been chosen in the State for the smart cities project considering the fact that development in these towns showed a continuous urban character.
100 cities
The Centre has decided to select 100 cities for the project in the country. And, each city will get Rs. 100 crore every five years. A State will get to develop at least one city as smart city under the Centre’s initiative. Incidentally, Malappuram has submitted a report for the smart city tag.
The criteria included a Geographic Information System (GIS) database, City Development Plan, master plan, ongoing initiatives under Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, forum to redress complaints, e-governance, toilets in all houses, expansion plans, and double-entry accounting systems, said K.P. Mohammed Mustafa, chairman, Malappuram municipality.
Meanwhile the Union Ministry of Urban Development is giving final touches to the smart city guidelines on an incentive-based approach to get funds for developing urban infrastructure.Once selected, smart cities would get the coveted Central grants, the official said. The selection is on the basis of the “City Challenge Competition.
”Cities will be graded based on their revenues, expenditure, availability of infrastructure pertaining to roads and transport, drinking water facilities, solid waste management, and housing. A smart city should offer economic activities and employment opportunities to a wide section of its residents, regardless of their level of education, skills, or income levels. It needs to identify its comparative or unique advantage and core competence in specific areas of economic activities and promote such activities aggressively, by developing the required institutional, physical, social, and economic infrastructures and attracting investors and professionals to take up such activities.
Quality life
The selected city will have to provide a very high quality of life but affordable housing, cost-effective physical, social and institutional infrastructure such as adequate and quality water supply, sanitation, round-the-clock electricity supply, clean air, quality education, cost-effective health care, dependable security, entertainment, sports, robust and high speed interconnectivity, and fast and efficient urban mobility.
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Quelle/Source: NYOOOZ, 12.06.2015
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