Germany to back 'Smart Cities' projects in Kochi, Coimbatore, Bhubaneswar

German firms seek to contribute in the areas of residential housing, efficient water supply, waste water management and renewable energy

Germany today announced that it will support the government's 'Smart Cities' programme by taking up projects in Bhubaneswar, Kochi and Coimbatore.

State Secretary in German Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety Gunther Adler today led a delegation of technical experts to meet the officials of the Ministry of Urban Development. It was the second meeting of the Indo-German working group on urban development. The first was held in September 2015.

Adler said the German Building Ministry "will support German companies that want to cooperate intensively with Indian partners in order to assist Indian cities in implementing their plan." He also met his Indian counterparts Urban Development Ministry secretary Madhusudan Prasad and Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Secretary Nandita Chatterjee.

Gunther said German companies will like to help its Indian partners in construction of residential housing, efficient water supply, waste water management and renewable energy in Bhubaneswar in Odisha, Kerala's Kochi and Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu. A German official said Germany had vast experience in building 'brown cities' or existing cities, into 'green cities', particularly after Germany's reunification in 1990 when projects were undertaken to reshape the cities of the erstwhile East Germany.

German officials said they expect the Indian government to put in place necessary institutional and policy frameworks to facilitate the public private partnerships between German companies and their Indian counterparts for the 'Smart Cities' programme.