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Companies are gearing up to offer an array of smart solutions, in the expectation of a huge business opportunity, with the launch of the ‘100 Smart Cities’ mission.
Multinational corporations are looking at offering solutions ranging from smart grids, traffic management systems, automated parking solutions, pollution monitoring solutions, security and surveillance, among others.
“States have been asked to complete the first stage exercises by July 31. We will announce the 100 Smart Cities list by August 4. States will then be given three to four months to prepare proposals on initiatives they wish to implement with respect to retrofitting, redevelopment or construction. The list of cities selected for funding will be out by January,” Madhusudan Prasad, Secretary, Ministry of Urban Development, had said recently.
Tech Mahindra expects separate tenders for smart security and surveillance, parking, waste management, smart grid and energy management. Its implementation at Mahindra World City Jaipur already showcases many smart city components.
“While it is difficult to estimate the business opportunity from this scheme, we expect $100 million in next 5 years,” said Rishi Mohan Bhatnagar, Global Head - Digital Enterprise Services, Tech Mahindra.
Essel Infrastructure is targeting 3-5 cities in the first phase of implementation. “We have already signed MoUs with Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh for developing smart cities,” said Ashok Agarwal, Whole Time Director & CEO, Essel Infrastructure.
Honeywell is already working on a city surveillance project in Bhubaneswar, which was inaugurated earlier this year. Anant Maheshwari, President, Honeywell India, said, “There exists sizeable opportunity to make buildings smarter. However, order pipeline and revenue will be driven by market demand, time-to-market, project commissioning and their respective timelines.”
Schneider Electric has worked on solutions for cities overseas as well. It built an integrated command and control centre in Sao Paulo, as well as an electric demand response system in New York. Anil Kadam, Associate GM, Solution Architect for Energy and Utilities and Smart City, said, “We will take six to nine months to look at the kind of proposals that trickle in. There would be a good revenue stream for companies which can provide solutions.”
Bosch too has implemented similar projects in Monaco, Singapore, Berlin, Stuttgart, Austria, and San Francisco, among others. Dhiraj Wali, Vice President, Robert Bosch Engineering and Business Solutions, said, “ In India, we can offer solutions for urban mobility, energy auditing and efficiency solutions, real time air pollution monitoring solutions, among others.”
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