Smart City: A surprise entrant, Jabalpur now hopes for trade boost

Ranked at 7, Jabalpur was a surprise entrant in the first round of the Smart City project. According to Jabalpur Municipal Corporation corporators and officials, the selection of the city could largely be attributed to its move to provide online feedback-based services to residents.

Ranked at 7, Jabalpur was a surprise entrant in the first round of the Smart City project. According to Jabalpur Municipal Corporation (JMC) corporators and officials, the selection of the city could largely be attributed to its move to provide online feedback-based services to residents.

A bird’s eye view of Jabalpur city. Ranked at 7, Jabalpur was a surprise entrant in the first round of the Smart City project.

Mayor Swati Godbole told HT, “The Corporation is all set for vertical growth of the city. The Centre is expected to provide Rs 1,000 crore under the project.”

The corporation limits is spread over 264 square kilometers, including the banks of river Narmada.

“The corporation has initially selected an area of 700 acres (2.8 sq km) to be converted to a smart space by introducing the concepts of a Smart City. In future, the corporation will extend the Smart City concept to 2000 acres land (about 8 sq km), covering other localities,” she added.

Manish Diwakar, a businessman from the city, said, “Residents need to ensure that garbage is not thrown on the side of streets or in drains to give the city a smart look.”

Jabalpur Chamber of Commerce and Industries secretary, Hemanshu Khare said, “I hope the selection of Jabalpur in the Smart City project boosts trade here.”

Atul Jaiswani, a resident of Napier Town, said, “There should be strict monitoring of funds allotted for works to be done in the smart city project.”