Smart City Projects to boost growth in northeast: Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the Smart City Projects would herald a sea change in urban amenities and boost the rapid development of the northeastern states.

"The Smart City Projects would solve many long pending and crucial problems of the people and their cities. They would greatly help to make a sea change of the urban amenities and boost the rapid growth and development of the northeastern states," Modi said.

The Prime Minister was speaking after laying the foundation stones of five Integrated Command and Control Centres (ICCC) of Smart City Projects in five cities in three northeastern states -- Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Tripura -- from New Delhi through video conference.

Modi said under the Smart City Projects, 500 projects at a cost of Rs 15,000 crore would be implemented in 10 cities of eight northeastern states. "Work orders have been issued for 59 projects."

He said that each city has already identified their key problems and issues and these would be solved by 2019 end or in 2020.

"Applying the digital technologies through centralised monitoring, smart solutions would be used in traffic management, transportation, waste management, energy conservation, drainage system, water supplies.

"Crime against women, citizen centric basic necessities, water harvesting, housing and other human matters would be dealt with by the ICCC. Under the Smart City Projects, people can enjoy free internet through a large number of WiFi hotspots," Modi said.

Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb said Rs 11,370 crore would be spent on the Smart City Projects in Agartala.

Chief Executive Officer of Agartala Smart City Projects Shailesh Kumar Yadav told IANS that the ICCC would administer various electronic, service components, information and smart solutions by using modern technologies to make the cities world class smart metropolises.

He said the GPS (Global Positioning System) and GPRS (General Packet Radio Services)-enabled wireless communication services would be put in place to administer various services, schemes and works.

--IANS

sc/mag/bg