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Krishan Kumar, the Commissioner of Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation and the Vice-Chairman of the Bhubaneswar Development Authority, is credited with drawing up the city’s top-ranking ‘smart city’ pitch. Excerpts from an interview:
In your view, what are the characteristics of a smart city?
A smart city brings in technology as an enabler to do more with less, achieve better efficiencies, and improve the quality of life.
What tops your list of proposals for the city?
Equity. A smart city cannot leave its people behind. Nearly 40 per cent of our population lives in slums. We need to empower them.
We also want to make Bhubaneswar the first child-friendly city. We are signing an MoU with a Netherlands-based organisation to ensure that city planning serves that goal.
Can a smart city come up in just five years?
A smart city will require sustained efforts over a decade or two.
How will it be funded?
Odisha is the first State to have a City Level Infrastructure Development Fund of ₹100 crore, which will go up to ₹400 crore over a period of time. Funding from different schemes will converge. Projects must yield returns by drawing in businesses. Monetising existing land banks is one of the options.
Some land will also become available to us, after the redevelopment of the existing areas, which can be used commercially.
Click here to read about other Smart Cities
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