Connaught Place will get Wi-Fi poles, sensor-based parking lots

The New Delhi Municipal Council’s (NDMC) annual budget for 2016-17 only offered old wine in a new bottle, with a few embellishments. Council chairman, Naresh Kumar, again proposed a long list of pending projects.

The New Delhi Municipal Council’s (NDMC) annual budget for 2016-17 only offered old wine in a new bottle, with a few embellishments. Council chairman, Naresh Kumar, again proposed a long list of pending projects.

NDMC proposes to install a smart system at parking lots, which will inform the drivers about the availability of space and help authorities manage parking space better. (HT File Photo)

The total receipts of the budget estimates this time are Rs 3458.33 crore against the expected expenditure of Rs 3450.81 crore.

Presenting his maiden budget, Kumar proposed reviving the projects and also proposed new ventures such as installation of bank ATMs in subways, sensor-based parking system, a new bio-methanisation along with air quality monitoring boards.

New Proposals

Keeping in mind the alarming rise in the pollution levels in the Capital, NDMC, is soon going to set up air quality monitoring system at three points which will project real time air quality information.

“20x10 feet multi-media LED screens will be set up to display the air quality,” Kumar said.

The seven subways around Connaught Place are also set to be revamped with ATMs and signature advertising panels, which will also help improve footfall there.

The area is also likely to get a comprehensive smart parking facility with a sensor-based system.“Searching for a parking space is a cause of stress for many people. To ease this woe, NDMC will equip 116 existing parking spaces with a centralized, mobile-based smart parking management system on a public-private partnership (PPP) mode. The mobile app will inform the visitor of free parking space and help planners efficiently manage space in the area,” Kumar said.

Health and medical services

All of NDMC’s health care units will have a cloud-based hospital management information system (HMIS) to improve speed and quality of health care services, the chairman said.

A 250-bed super specialty hospital, which will come as the second wing of Charak Palika Hospital, will be established in the next three with an investment of `250 crores. It is also proposed to set up video conferencing facility at Charak Palika Hospital and Palika Maternity Hospital to facilitate real-time online services of medical experts.

Education

Kumar said NDMC is also striving to introduce smart classrooms equipped with digital curriculum, interactive white boards, short-throw projectors in classrooms. Senior citizens will mentor poor students, teachers will be made to attend workshops to hone their skills and sports facilities will be upgraded.

Smart street poles

The smart street poles’ project which was stalled following a legal battle will be re-started, with fresh tenders to be floated in the coming months.

“Existing electricity poles will have LED lights, CCTV cameras, incident driven controllers for traffic analytics and free Wi-Fi for 20 minutes will be a highlight of these facilities,” Kumar said.