5 National Smart City awards to Bhopal and Jabalpur

Bhopal: State’s smart cities Bhopal and Jabalpur have bagged Indian Smart Cities Award-2018 in 5 categories. While Bhopal city has bagged 3, Jabalpur has bagged awards in 2 categories in the awards announced by Government of India’s Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Department.

Urban Development and Housing Minister Smt. Maya Singh has congratulated and extended best wishes to the local citizens, public representatives, officials and smart city team for awards in 2 categories bagged by Jabalpur and 3 by Bhopal in Indian Smart Cities Award 2018. She said that good work is being undertaken under the Smart City Project in Madhya Pradesh. But there is need to accelerate the pace.

Principal Secretary Urban Development and Housing Shri Vivek Agrawal told that Bhopal Smart City has been given the first award by the Government of India’s Department of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation for the unique initiative in the form of “Integrated Command Control Centre”. This command centre is the first of its kind in the country through which all 7 smart cities of the state have been connected with 20 services and are being constantly monitored. Through these services, state-level services like C.M. helpline, Solid Waste Management, Emergency services like Fire, Police and Health Service-108 and city level services like Mayor Express, Public Bike Sharing, Smart Street Light etc. are being monitored and controlled. The second award has been acquired by Bhopal Smart City for “Public Bike Sharing” which aims at environment conservation and for reducing traffic pressure on the main roads of the city. The public bike sharing system began in the city from June 25, 2017. As many as 36 thousand users of the city have been connected with this project who are availing benefits of 350 cycles through 69 cycle stations. For this a 12 km long and 5 m wide dedicated cycle track has been developed in the city. Similarly, the third award was bagged by Bhopal city for “B-Nest Incubation Centre”. Through this centre, platform has been made available through B-Nest to those unemployed youth who are not able to give shape to their new ideas due to lack of resources. Youth are provided better working environment along with resources in this centre. Besides, they are provided marketig, financing and legal advice for their products and ideas.

Similarly, Jabalpur Smart City has been given one award for NDMC ‘Smart Classroom’ in which 20 classes of 5 Government Higher Secondary Schools of the city have been turned into smart classes in which the syllabus can be taught through 2-D and 3-D images in different languages. Facility of a virtual class has been provided to the schools with the help of smart studio where any teacher can teach the students sitting in classes in all schools from one place. The second award has been given to Jabalpur Smart City for ‘Waste to Energy Plant’ a new initiative in the field of environment conservation. In this project, Jabalpur Municipal Corporation has established Waste to Energy plant based on Public Private Partnership model in which11.5 MW power is being produced.The produced electricity is being sold to the Vidyut Vitaran Company at the rate of Rs 6.39 paisa per unit.-Window To News