Gurgaon a step closer to attaining the Smart City tag

Gurgaon will receive central assistance to enable it to put forward a Smart City proposal

In a significant move to taking Gurgaon a step closer to attaining the coveted Smart City tag, the Union ministry of urban development (MoUD) has included the city among the 13 which are to be provided with technical assistance by the Centre in enabling them to put forward a Smart City proposal.

The MCG has floated a Request for Proposal (RFP) on its official website for soliciting consultant services to help Gurgaon in its bid to earn the Smart City tag. (Parveen Kumar/HT FILE)

In addition, the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) has also floated a Request For Proposal (RFP) on its official website www.mcg.gov.in for soliciting consultant services to help Gurgaon in its bid to earn the Smart City tag.

“The RFP is open to all and consultants from across the country can apply. The selected concessionaire will assist the MCG in submitting its proposal to be brought within the ambit of the (Centre’s) Smart Cities Mission,” Amit Khatri, additional commissioner, MCG, said.

MCG officials confirmed that the last date for potential concessionaires to submit their bids is May 19.

This will be followed by a meeting on May 22 to determine and finalise a concessionaire based on the least cost selection process.

The Smart Cities mission is an ambitious programme launched by the Centre in a bid to develop cities in a manner as to make them citizen-friendly and sustainable.

Should Gurgaon make it to the final list of cities to be given a modern makeover under the ambitious project, the city will be allotted ₹100 crore annually by the Centre over a period of five years.

The Union urban development ministry is responsible for implementing the mission in collaboration with the state governments and the urban local bodies of the cities selected.

As part of its technical support, the MCG officials said, the Union ministry will end multiplicity of civic agencies and provide coordination to ensure development projects are not hindered by red-tapism and executed properly.

In May, 2016, Gurgaon had missed the list of smart cities while neighbouring Faridabad had been selected. Frequent power outages, shortage of water supply, traffic crisis, poor public transport, antiquated and inadequate drainage and waste disposal system and failure to meet deadlines for civic projects are likely to have been responsible for the city not making the smart city shortlist.

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For a city to earn the coveted tag, it has to have provisions for adequate water supply, 24x7 power supply, attain high sanitation standards, have a competent solid waste management system, efficient urban mobility and public transport, affordable housing, robust IT connectivity and digitalization, e-governance platforms, sustainable environment, high safety and security measures for the citizens and optimum facilities in health and education sectors.