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COVER STORY PLUS

This article by Venkata Subbarao, Associate Director, IBI Group is
based on the views expressed by the panelists during a session held at

TrafficInfraTech Expo, Hyderabad. The other panel members were Lovleen
Garg, Assistant Vice-President and Head- Environment Sustainability,
GIFT City; S Ramakrishna, Senior Vice-President, UMTC and JVS
Ramakrishna, Head- Business Initiatives & Customer Relations-Smart

Cities Infrastructure, L&T Ltd.

mart City Mission, the approach for selection of proposals, For e.g. planning and design of
promise of this tech-savvy projects and engaging in a constant mobility improvement or public
approach to urban renewal dialogue with the local bodies and transport projects shall take into
includes catalyzing economic meticulous monitoring of the progress. account the urban form, travel
Sgrowth leading to more Challenges and remedies for taking patterns - current and future, fuel type,
employment and enhanced incomes the project to the next stage are emissions, available road widths, fare
for all, an inclusive development being discussed keeping in view the pricing strategy, collection methods,
especially for poor and disadvantaged, four promises of Smart City Mission integration with other modes of
improving quality of life of its Citizens i.e., improving quality of fife, ensure transport, subsidies for environmental
and finally, a clean & sustainable Sustainability, achieve economic friendly options etc.
environment. The whole initiative is growth and inclusive development. Similarly will also cause challenges
designed to mesh infrastructure with Comprehensive and Integrated Design Projects to attract Private
technology to yield Smart outcomes Approach– Undertaking projects Participation – While the rationale for
through the application of ‘Smart’ in haste to demonstrate progress private participation in public projects
Solutions. While the Mission is
currently concentrating on 100 Cities, without comprehensive analysis of is no more a debate, the need of the
requirements and review of other
hour is to build investor confidence
the aim is to create a replicable model associated projects planned in the and attract the private players to
which will act like a light house to region by all the other stakeholders can undertake these projects. This can
other aspiring cities which ultimately result in duplication of effort, wasteful relieve the authorities from the burden
is expected to transform urban India of financing, development, operation
into a sustainable economic engine. expenditure and loss of time. Detailed
design and implementation planning of and maintenance and restricting its
Two years since its grandeur launch, the projects requires a comprehensive role to policy, regulatory, enforcement
a quick look at the status shows that and integrated approach after due and performance monitoring activities.
the take-off has been smooth with consideration of realistic demand Challenge is that most of the existing
identification of 3000 projects worth forecasts, user socio-economic and projects are neither in a bankable form
1.9 lakh crore impacting 96 million cultural conditions, locally available raw nor there is a regulatory environment to
population spread across 90 cities. Of materials, operations and maintenance make these projects financially viable.
these, 79 projects worth Rs 841 crore needs, environmental, sustainability and Though Government has undertaken
are completed with majority of them technological considerations. Integration several policy level measures such
comprising of IT, control centers and shall take into account the scope as well as those for issuance of municipal
surveillance systems. as schedule/sequencing of the projects. bonds and levy of user charges,
A project of this size and scale is Planning and design shall take into existing demand and the willingness
bound to have its share of challenges account the need for implementing infra to pay conditions do not make them
and smartness is in being able to to enable IT enablement at a later stage. attractive. This also requires adopting
identify them from time to time in Also changes/amendments to existing a concession agreement which shares
advance and undertaking appropriate policy, regulatory and enforcement the risks appropriately amongst the
remedial measures. Until now, the rules required or need for new shall be share-holders along with provisions
government has been successful in evaluated for implementation, operation to recourse and re-negotiation under
doing so by adopting a professional and maintenance of the systems. extreme conditions.

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