 "M Venkaiah Naidu")
Union minister of Urban Development M Venkaiah Naidu on Saturday hailed the smart city plan submitted by Odisha as 'best example’ to emerge as number one among the 20 winners of the Smart City Challenge competition held earlier this year.
“People are asking how Bhubaneswar has become No.1 in the smart city list and cite some examples. I said the plan proposed by Bhubaneswar states what they can do or cannot do. It is the best example”, said Naidu at a CSR conclave here.
Smart city needs smart leaders in the sense, wisdom and honesty and smart people, he added.
City people also have an important responsibility and media has role to create to social awareness, Naidu said who is also the Information and Brodacasting minister is also.
The smart city proposal of the city comprises two components - an area-based proposal for the development of Bhubaneswar Town Centre District (BTCD) and a pan-city proposal for Intelligent City Operations and Management Centre (ICOMC). The BTCD plans to retrofit and redevelop 985 acres centred around the main railway station in the heart of the city to a vibrant 24x7 destination.
ICOMC will provide a digital platform for integrating multiple city sub-systems of traffic management, parking, bus operations, common fare card, emergency response, and city incident management along with seamless integration of BTCD's utility operation requirements.
The smart city proposal estimates total project costs at Rs 4,537 crore, including Rs 4,095 crore for BTCD and Rs 442 crore for ICOMC.
He urged the media to be away from sensation and negative mindset.
Social media is playing an important role in the country and competing with the traditional media in reaching out to the masses. Electronic media and print media has censor but social media has no censorship, added the minister.
