Barcelona to have tech cooperation with DDA, NDMC

The Barcelona Regional, the urban development agency for Barcelona would be roped in for technical collaboration with DDA and NDMC to develop the capital city as a smart city.
Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu, who visited the Town Hall of Barcelona today discussed the issue of possible technical cooperation with Xavier Trias, the Mayor of Barcelona.
Naidu noted that there was a lot to be learnt from Barcelona in this regard and he would welcome the prospect of a technical collaboration with the authorities of Barcelona for this purpose, according to a release.
The Mayor indicated that Barcelona Regional, the urban development agency for Barcelona would be happy to cooperate in this regard.

The agency was responsible for technical and economic feasibility studies and surveys and for the management and implementation of infrastructure projects. It was currently examining proposals for developing a joint venture with Indian companies for this purpose.
Naidu said the joint venture could participate in development projects through transparent and competitive bidding processes.

He also said that Barcelona Regional could examine the possibility of cooperating directly with an agency such as the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and the New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC).
Naidu had gone to Spain to attend the Smart City Expo World Congress in Barcelona.
The Minister, during the event, elaborated about the government's priorities regarding urban development and reconstruction, the proposal to develop 100 smart cities, redevelop 500 existing cities and also preserve India's heritage cities.

Naidu said participation in the event had been a valuable experience for the Indian delegation.
The Deputy Mayor termed as "stunning" the Minister's speech which had left a deep impression amongst the delegates about the scale of the challenges facing India and the commitment of the Government of India to transform the urban landscape in India.
Minister and the Mayor also discussed issues relating to the large, growing and dynamic Indian community in Barcelona and their contribution to the region's economic life.
In this context, the Minister referred to need of the community for a temple and requested the Mayor to kindly consider granting them a piece of land for its building.

Both the Mayor and the Deputy Mayor responded positively to this request and said that they would address this request very soon, the release said.
Naidu invited the Mayor to visit India at his earliest convenience to carry forward the ongoing discussions on cooperation in all mutually beneficial areas. The Mayor said that he looked forward to doing so, it said.