Bhubaneswar civic board to form SPV for smart city project

The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation will soon form a special purpose vehicle (SPV) for implementation of the 'Smart City' programme.
This was stated by Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) Commissioner Krishan Kumar after attending a video conferencing with Cabinet Secretary Pradeep Kumar Sinha. Chief Secretary A P Padhi was also present during the conferencing.
"The Centre has sent a set of guidelines for implementation of development projects under the Smart City Mission. We will study its modalities such as technical competence, model concessional agreements etc. Besides, we need to seek suggestions regarding appointment of consultants for the projects. We will soon begin work on this," Kumar said.

The central government officials also pointed out the possible challenges to surface in the next 5-10 months during the implementation of projects, he added.
Each smart city will have a SPV, which will be headed by a full time CEO and have nominees of Central Government, State Government and ULB on its board.
The SPV will be empowered to execute the smart city projects in a timely and cost-effective manner while ensuring that the quality of the outcomes is benchmarked against global standards, an official said.
Bhubaneswar was placed on top spot in the Smart City list of 20 cities prepared by the Centre.

"We will provide all help and assistance for the programme," Chief secretary Padhi said.