The state's local bodies department has finally settled on Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Amritsar to be developed under the Centre's 100 smart cities project, and sent the proposal to New Delhi on Monday.
Under the project, the city will soon have a smart grid system, well maintained roads, smart traffic lights, advanced CCTV cameras installed on traffic signals, good water and sewerage system, and e-governance systems for all major public services.
These selected cities across the country would be developed as smart cities till 2022 to promote industrialisation and employment.
Each smart city will be given a `500-crore grant from the Centre, besides an additional `500 crore from the state government. However, only the top 20 cities of the country will get funding for the project in the first year. The remaining cities will be developed as smart cities in the coming years.
"Yes, Jalandhar city has selected for the smart city project. We are hoping that Jalandhar gets selected in the first 20 cities as well," mayor Sunil Jyoti told HT.
Sources said Jalandhar was selected on basis of a city challenge competition, which considered revenues, expenditure, availability of parks, drinking water facilities, solid waste management, greenery and infrastructure related to transport, and many other factors as per the guidelines fixed by the Union government.
Sources in the local bodies department added that all the three selected cities scored 60 marks out of 100 on the basis of their progress work and population comparison.
The state government had sent a list of six cities - Jalandhar, Amritsar, Ludhiana, Patiala, Mohali and Bathinda - for the smart city project. But the NDA government had sent back the proposal saying Punjab will has only three cities as its share in the project.
When the grants are sanctioned, the Jalandhar Municipal Corporation (MC) itself will be tasked with the responsibility to develop roads, water and sewerage connectivity, and improve transportation and industries in the city.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Jatinder Mahal
Quelle/Source: Hindustan Times, 04.08.2015
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