Smart City MD Outlines Rs. 1800 Crore Worth of Projects for Mangaluru
Mangaluru: “Firstly, the Smart City Program has been introduced in six cities in the state of Karnataka. In the whole country, 20 cities had been identified as Smart Cities in the first round. The selection of the cities was done on the basis of the projects and the implementation capacity of those projects. The criteria also included the needs of the citizens and the tourism of the city as well. A forum was convened and the selection committee selected the eligible cities. In the second round, Mangaluru was selected for the Smart City program. Subsequently, a governing body or a special purpose body was formed to determine how to go about drafting and implementing the projects under the Smart City Program. The actual administrative activities of Smart City in Mangaluru began on June 2017” said Smart City (Mangaluru) Managing Director BH Narayanappa in a press meet held at the Smart City Office, City Corporation here, on June 25.
Addressing the media persons Narayanappa said. “Before starting the Smart City projects, we carried out a pilot project. Here, eight wards were identified to carry out development activities. This area is known as the Central Business Development (CBD) area. The total CBD area spanned over 1,628 acres and 6.5 sq. kilometers of area. Together with these eight wards, Pan-City projects such as LED Street Lights and Command &Control Center will also be implemented. The total cost of all the Smart City projects amounts to Rs. 1,800 Crores. The State and Central Government are sanctioning Rs. 100 Crores each for every year. 93 percent of these funds will be used for projects and the rest 7 percent will be used for SVPs.”
The Mangaluru Smart City body has identified a total of 44 projects under the Smart City scheme. These projects are at various stages of development and cost a sum total of Rs. 958 Crores. Those projects that are currently in progress include Smart Road, UGD-1 & UGD-2, Clock Tower, Command & Control Centre, Karnataka Municipal Data Society, and converting Govt. Building lights to LED. Other projects that are at the tender stage include E-Smart School, Revamping Kadri Park and Swimming Pool, CCC Building, etc.
The rejuvenation of Lakes, up gradation of Mangala Stadium, renovation of Wenlock and Lady Goshen Hospitals, development of waterfront, redevelopment of DC Office, Car Street and Venkatramana precincts are at nascent stages of development.
In addition, over seven projects will be undertaken by adopting a Public-Private Partnership Model or PPP Model. The Multi-Level Parking Project in Hampankatta is being done in conjunction with a private enterprise called RK Infrastructure. Similarly, unique projects such as Solar Recreational Islands, Redevelopment of Central Market, and the Integrated Transport Hub will be carried out in a similar fashion by collaborating with other private enterprises. The revenue that is gathered from these projects will also be shared among the public and private enterprises. The overall cost of the seven PPP projects is estimated at Rs. 912 Crores.
For further information on any of the Smart City Projects, kindly contact:
Mr. BH Narayanappa (MD of Mangaluru Smart City Program): +91 9449733799
Mr. Abdul Rehman (Executive Engineer) or Mr. Chandrakanth: +91 9871539567
