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This is an archive article published on January 29, 2016
Pune’s smart city dream sees light: No 2. on list, upbeat PMC vows to think, act smart
To put 200 professionals on task to implement smart city; form special purpose vehicle
3 min read
Pune, which houses several traditional wadas primarily in Peth areas, will witness smart makeover around it. Pavan Khengre
WITH PUNE listed on the number two slot among the Top-20 cities declared on Thursday by the Centre to be developed as a smart cities, an upbeat civic administration has started devising smart ideas and strategies to take up the responsible task in hand —implement the Rs 3,480 crore plan in the next five years.
“I am proud that Pune has been ranked second on the list for the smart city. This is just the beginning and the implementation of the plan will be the most challenging aspect,” said municipal commissioner Kunal Kumar.
Active public participation contributed towards the PMC making it to the second position, he said, adding, “It’s a historical moment in my professional career.”
The roadmap for the implementation of the smart city will be clear once the Centre gives out the guidelines, said Kumar, adding, “The PMC is prepared to set a dedicated team of some 200 professionals to take on the responsibility of bringing the plan into reality. The civic body has to form a special purpose vehicle (SPV) as a first step towards implementation.”
The Centre had called a meeting of all municipal commissioners of selected civic bodies for a video conference meeting for further implementation.
Mayor Dattatraya Dhankawade said the credit for Pune being ranked second on the list goes to political parties, which supported the proposal prepared by the civic administration.
“The city has seen a lot of development in the last 10 years and it gave the foundation for the civic administration to prepare a plan for developing Pune as a smart city. Now, the civic body will continue to work towards fulfilling the public demand,” he added.
Earlier, the political parties had created hurdles for the civic administration over the smart city proposal and had postponed their decision on it. The chief minister had to intervene to make the PMC take a final call on the matter and not taint the reputation of the state.
After a marathon discussion while approving the smart city plan, the elected representatives amended the Union government guidelines by suggesting that a special-purpose vehicle (SPV) will be dissolved by the PMC if the general body is not satisfied with its work.
The Mayor, Leader of the House and Standing Committee Chairperson will be ex—officio directors on the SPV board and the SPV will not have powers to levy any taxes.
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