The Singapore government is keen on participating in the Smart City project, the ambitious project announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi led Central government for development of 100 smart cities across the country.
The Island nation, which carved a niche for itself in urban planning through the expertise gained over the years, is looking to help Indian government in the foolproof planning of the smart cities. Singapore is already participating in some projects in the country including the state of the art skill development centre it operates in New Delhi and the assistance it extended to the Gujarat government in putting in place a bus rapid transit system in Ahmedabad.
In an interaction with visiting media persons from Andhra Pradesh, Centre for Liveable Cities executive director Khoo Teng Chye said the CLC was prepared to help the Indian government with its expertise in development of the smart cities that would be designed to meet the challenges in future. According to him, urban areas are likely to face stiff challenges like large scale migration of people with varied backgrounds, skill and education to the cities in search of employment.
The CLC, urban planning arm of the Singapore government, which is busy preparing the detailed master plan for the new capital city of Andhra Pradesh feels that provision of utilities, housing, mobility and technology besides better living could pose challenges for the development of urban areas in the coming days.
Singapore Foreign Affairs Minister K Shanmugam said Singapore was keen on taking part in the development process that Indian government had initiated as the country already had experience in working in India through its projects in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Delhi and other States.
The Singapore government appears to be exploring options in the areas of skill development, a key area in which it was roped in by the AP government.
