Taking another giant leap forward, the BJP-led NDA
government today declared the list of 98 out of 100 cities for the round 1 to
be developed under the Smart India Mission that also accounts to 35 percent of
India’s urban population. The list declared includes 12 cities for Uttar
Pradesh (U.P.) shortlisted against the 13 nominated, 12 cities for Tamil Nadu,
Maharashtra got 10, Madhya Pradesh 7, Gujarat and Karnataka gets 6 each,
Rajasthan and West Bengal 4 each, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and Punjab 3 each, 2
each for Odisha, Telangana, Chhatisgarh and Haryana, 1 each for Andaman &
Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Chandigarh, Daman & Diu, Dadra
& Nagar Haveli, Delhi, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Kerela,
Lakshadweep, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Puducherry, Sikkim, Tripura
and Uttarakhand nominated. The remaining 2 cities will be declared later as
Jammu & Kashmir wanted more to time to decide between Jammu and Srinagar
for their nomination and U.P. has got one less. A total central funding of Rs.
48,000 crores for smart cities was declared on 25th June when our
Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Smart India Mission. As per
the five year plan for smart cities, the government will allocate Rs. 200 crore
this year and follow up with Rs. 100 crore every year for remaining four years.
Of those chosen for the smart cities project, 24 are capital cities, 24 are
business hubs and 18 are cultural centres. The top 20 cities will be financed
this year and the rest of the cities will be asked to overcome their
deficiencies and prepare for round 2 of the competition. In the next 5-6 years,
Rs. 3 lakh crores will be spent in developing the towns to provide world-class
infrastructure, sustainable environment and smart solutions.
Uttar Pradesh gets the biggest chunk:
The most populous and politically vital state of
India, U.P. has got 12 cities against 13 nominated namely; Moradabad, Aligarh,
Saharanpur, Bareilly, Jhansi, Kanpur, Allahabad, Lucknow, Varanasi, Ghaziabad,
Agra and Rampur that accounts to a joint population of 1,53,30,266. Mr. Deepak
Kapoor, President-CREDAI Western U.P. & Director, GulshanHomzavers “It was
extremely important that Uttar Pradesh got the maximum of the smart cities
being the most populous of the states of India. The cities shortlisted are most
apt to become the smart cities for this state due to agricultural, industrial, manufacturing
and service sectors being the prime contributors. At the same time, U.P. as a
state has also got most major infrastructural links and future plans well laid
to justify being the maximum getter from this list. Uttar Pradesh has not only
being independent for its survival but plays a crucial role in shaping up
neighbouring states and thus, transforming this state will yield better results
in future”. Adding to the view, Mr. Rajesh Goyal, Vice President-CREDAI Western
U.P. & MD, RG Group says “The most awaited list has finally come out with
U.P. and Tamil Nadu leading the way. Speaking about U.P., out of the 13 initial
cities shortlisted, the actual 12 best have made through. The list of cities
shortlisted for Uttar Pradesh covers almost the entire state with maximum focus
on the western and central U.P. as they meet the maximum parameters of being
cities of the future. With the boat of Smart India Mission finally set to sail,
we will have a different India altogether in the upcoming one decade”.
From the very first day when the plan of Smart IndiaMission was launched; Uttar Pradesh was destined to get the maximum smart
cities. The state of U.P. was created on 1st April, 1937 as the
United Provinces, and was renamed Uttar Pradesh in 1950. Lucknow is the largest
city and the capital of U.P. The other key cities such as Ghaziabad, Kanpur,
Bareilly, Aligarh, Varanasi and others play a crucial role in shaping up the
state into an industrial hub of the country. U.P. shares its boundary with 8
states and 1 country to its north and covers almost 2,50,000 sq. kms., equal to
7 percent of the total area of India; and is the fourth largest Indian state by
area. The state also boasts of being among the top 3 states in the country
contributing maximum to the Indian Gross Domestic Product (GDP). “History has
been a witness to how important role U.P. has played in developing India since
its very independence. It is great to see that U.P. tops the list for maximum
number of smart cities in the country. At present also, there is a lot of infrastructural
work carried throughout the state which will act as a perfect catalyst for the
development of smart cities in U.P. Smart cities will assist in enhancing the
lifestyle of people which will help in making them more efficient and
effective, that directly contributes to growth of a region”, explains Mr.
KushagrAnsal, Director, Ansal Housing.
“Developing Smart Cities will be like revamping the
existing ones into better and much proficient cities that will not only promote
growth of the region but provide a better living style to its residents.
Development of smart cities will largely attract job employment, FDI, infrastructural
growth and economic development of a region which will directly add to the GDP
of the country and progress of Uttar Pradesh as a state”, states Mr. Amrit Pal
Singh, Executive Director, Aprameya Group. Also agrees Mr. Ankit Aggarwal, CMD,
Devika Group, as he says “There exist a ripple effect of growth in the
neighbouring areas once a region observes independent growth. The refurbishing
of the 12 cities of Uttar Pradesh will act as a push to their nearby regions.
For instance, Ghaziabad as a smart city will promote development of Noida, Greater
Noida, Yamuna Expressway and other such nearby regions. Thus, the 12 smart
cities will have a multiplier effect on the other regions that will develop the
entire state and consequently, the country”.
India on road to development:
With the list of 98 citiesout; now we are talking
development of the nation. A decision that every citizenof this country has
been dreaming for the last one year is now becoming real. It is to be
understood that not only will the 98 cities witness development across the nation
but to develop those smart cities, neighbouring and related cities will have to
be bought to a bare minimum development graph to support the smart cities
around. The division looks just and logical with almost every key contributing city
being touched. “The day is not far now when we’ll see smart cities up and
running in India asnow we are moving towards a healthy and much sustainable
environment. Almost 35 percent of India’s urban population falls within these
98 cities that will now see a major mental and physical makeover of its
population. The road to India’s development is now becoming fairly visible that
will be most significant to bring this country on the global map”, claims Mr.
Dujender Bhardwaj, Director, Marina Suites.
The development of smart cities will pave way for
global giants to invest in India in a big way thereby enhancing the FDI inflow
for the country in the form of liquidity, manpower, technology and knowledge.
This will in turn help in boosting the economic and human development of the
country. “Our country is now fully prepared to develop into a smart nation with
smart people. In order to ensure smooth development of smart cities; it will be
most imperative that the central and state governments work hand-in-hand with
each other in implementation of plans and procedures. Clearing the land and GST
bill has become the need of hour now and providing timely clearance to projects
will be most crucial, only then can we see timely execution of smart cities in
our country”, concludes Mr. Rajnikant Sharma, CMD, RJ
Group.
List of 98 cities shortlisted for
stage-2 of Smart Cities Mission:
|
S.No.
|
Name of State/UT
|
No. of Cities shortlisted
|
Names of Potential Cities shortlisted
|
Population of cities
|
|
1
|
Andaman & Nicobar Islands
|
1
|
1. Port
Blair
|
1,40,572
|
|
2
|
Andhra Pradesh
|
3
|
1.
Vishakapatnam
2.
Tirupati
3.
Kakinada
|
18,78,980
3,74,260
3,50,986
|
|
3
|
Arunachal Pradesh
|
1
|
1. Pasighat
|
24,656
|
|
4
|
Assam
|
1
|
1. Guwahati
|
9,62,334
|
|
5
|
Bihar
|
3
|
1.
Muzaffarpur
2.
Bhagalpur
3.
Biharsharif
|
3,93,724
4,10,210
2,96,889
|
|
6
|
Chandigarh
|
1
|
1. Chandigarh
|
10,55,450
|
|
7
|
Chhattisgarh
|
2
|
1.
Raipur
2.
Bilaspur
|
10,47,389
3,65,579
|
|
8
|
Daman & Diu
|
1
|
1. Diu
|
23,991
|
|
9
|
Dadra & Nagar Haveli
|
1
|
1. Silvassa
|
98,032
|
|
10
|
Delhi
|
1
|
1. New
Delhi Municipal Council
|
2,49,998
|
|
11
|
Goa
|
1
|
1. Panaji
|
1,00,000
|
|
12
|
Gujarat
|
6
|
1.
Gandhinagar
2.
Ahemdabad
3.
Surat
4.
Vadodara
5.
Rajkot
6.
Dahod
|
2,92,797
55,77,940
44,67,797
17,52,371
13,23,363
1,30,530
|
|
13
|
Haryana
|
2
|
1.
Karnal
2.
Faridabad
|
3,02,140
14,14,050
|
|
14
|
Himachal Pradesh
|
1
|
1. Dharmashala
|
22,580
|
|
15
|
Jharkhand
|
1
|
1. Ranchi
|
10,73,427
|
|
16
|
Karnataka
|
6
|
1.
Mangaluru
2.
Belagavi
3.
Shivamogga
4.
Hubballi-Dharwad
5.
Tumakuru
6.
Davanegere
|
4,84,785
4,88,292
3,22,428
9,43,857
3,05,821
4,35,128
|
|
17
|
Kerala
|
1
|
1. Kochi
|
6,01,574
|
|
18
|
Lakshadweep
|
1
|
1. Kavaratti
|
11,210
|
|
19
|
Madhya Pradesh
|
7
|
1.
Bhopal
2.
Indore
3.
Jabalpur
4.
Gwalior
5.
Sagar
6.
Satna
7.
Ujjain
|
19,22,130
21,95,274
12,16,445
11,59,032
2,73,296
2,80,222
5,15,215
|
|
20
|
Maharashtra
|
10
|
1.
Navi Mumbai
2.
Nashik
3.
Thane
4.
Greater Mumbai
5.
Amravati
6.
Solapur
7.
Nagpur
8.
Kalyan-Dombivall
9.
Aurangabad
10. Pune
|
11,19,000
14,86,000
18,41,000
1,24,00,000
7,45,000
9,52,000
24,60,000
15,18,000
11,65,000
31,24,000
|
|
21
|
Manipur
|
1
|
1. Imphal
|
2,68,243
|
|
22
|
Meghalaya
|
1
|
1. Shillong
|
3,54,325
|
|
23
|
Mizoram
|
1
|
1. Aizawl
|
2,91,000
|
|
24
|
Nagaland
|
1
|
1. Kohima
|
1,07,000
|
|
25
|
Odisha
|
2
|
1.
Bhubaneshwar
2.
Raurkela
|
8,40,834
3,10,976
|
|
26
|
Puducherry
|
1
|
1. Oulgaret
|
3,00,104
|
|
27
|
Punjab
|
3
|
1.
Ludhiana
2.
Jalandhar
3.
Amritsar
|
16,18,879
8,68,181
11,55,664
|
|
28
|
Rajasthan
|
4
|
1.
Jaipur
2.
Udaipur
3.
Kota
4.
Ajmer
|
30,73,350
4,75,150
10,01,365
5,51,360
|
|
29
|
Sikkim
|
1
|
1. Namchi
|
12,190
|
|
30
|
Tamil Nadu
|
12
|
1.
Tiruchirapalli
2.
Tirunelveli
3.
Dindigul
4.
Thanjavur
5.
Tiruppur
6.
Salem
7.
Vellore
8.
Coimbatore
9.
Madurai
10. Erode
11. Thoothukudi
12. Chennai
|
9,16,674
4,74,838
2,07,327
2,22,943
8,77,778
8,31,038
5,04,079
16,01,438
15,61,129
4,98,129
3,70,896
67,27,000
|
|
31
|
Telangana
|
2
|
1.
Greater Hyderabad
2.
Greater Warangal
|
67,31,790
8,19,406
|
|
32
|
Tripura
|
1
|
1. Agartala
|
4,00,004
|
|
33
|
Uttar Pradesh*
|
12
|
1.
Moradabad
2.
Aligarh
3.
Saharanpur
4.
Bareilly
5.
Jhansi
6.
Kanpur
7.
Allahabad
8.
Lucknow
9.
Varanasi
10. Ghaziabad
11. Agra
12. Rampur
|
8,87,871
8,74,408
7,05,478
9,03,668
5,05,693
27,65,348
11,12,544
28,17,105
11,98,491
16,48,643
15,85,704
3,25,313
|
|
34
|
Uttarakhand
|
1
|
1. Dehradun
|
5,83,971
|
|
35
|
West Bengal
|
4
|
1.
New Town Kolkatta
2.
Bidhannagar
3.
Durgapur
4.
Haldia
|
36,541
6,33,704
5,71,000
2,72,000
|
|
36.
|
Total - 35
|
98
|
98
|
11,01,18,799
|
*12 cities have been shortlisted from Uttar Pradesh
against the 13 cities allocated.
Note: Jammu &
Kashmir has asked for more time to decide on their potential Smart City.
