‘smart City Mission Phase 2.0 Likely By Next Year’, Real Estate News, ET RealEstate
INDORE: Union minister for housing & urban affairs Hardeep Singh Puri on Wednesday hinted that Smart City Mission was likely to be extended as Phase 2.0 by next year.
“Smart City Mission is the fastest implemented scheme. Under it, 100 integrated command and control centres are ready and functioning by incorporating the latest of technologies. Now, the things are getting better and going further as the ministry has already started working on the ‘follow-up scheme’ of the mission,” he said.
“Experience of experimentation of first 100 smart cities will not be kept confined within these cities. Taking inspiration from them, some states are developing smart cities/districts out of central government’s mission. We are happy that this idea is catching on. We have to make some decisions as we want this idea to come out from the central government’s territory and be promoted in private sectors and in citizenship (as social responsibility),” he said.
The minister said that Smart City Mission had become incubation centre for a lot of technologies that would be applied in areas other than smart city projects.
“As schemes initiated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi including Swachh Bharat Mission, AMRUT and tap water connections saw introducing next phases, Smart City Mission will also continue, but how it will be like is yet be decided,” he said.
“It is, however, state government’s responsibility as well to mentor and handhold some smart cities, which are lagging and have to pick up some speed in implementation of projects.”
For smart, comfortable and environment-friendly transportation, Metro Rail has been introduced in 27 cities so far that are catering to one crore passengers daily. There is a plan to introduce 10,000 electric buses in major cities, of which 500 will start operation in next one month, he said. On the occasion, he urged the state government to keep the conclave’s exhibition open to the public for the next few days.
