Having missed the bus in the first round, Faridabad on Tuesday secured a berth in a ‘fast-track’ list of 13 towns that will be developed into smart cities.
The Municipal Corporation of Faridabad (MCF) had submitted a Smart City Proposal (SCP), projecting a total expenditure of Rs.2,600.01 crore, to the Union Ministry of Urban Development last month to compete for a place in the list of Fast Track Smart Cities.
The Centre announced the list on Tuesday.
Updated ideas
MCF Commissioner Aditya Dahiya said that while preparing the SCP, the deficiencies pointed out by the Ministry in the earlier submitted proposal were taken into consideration.
He added that the updated SCP was improved not only with the ideas, visions and views of the residents of Faridabad, but also with the suggestions and ideas given by the members of the Inter-Departmental Task Force Committee and the State-Level High Powered Steering Committee.
The revised SCP includes a vision statement: creating economic impact through transit orient development and smarter mobility and urbanism for social and environmental benefits.
The plan includes area-based development proposals. Under this, an area of 1,267 acres embracing Sector 20, including Friends Colony and Karkhana Bagh, Sector 20A including Sant Nagar and Ajrondi village, Sector 21B including village Fatehpur Chandela, Sector 21D including adjoining colonies SGM Nagar F and G Block and Indra Enclave, Sector 19 including Shastri Colony, Gopi Colony, Shiv Colony, Raja Garden, Baba Nagar, NH-5 Nissun Hut, will be developed. The SCP also includes smart mobility, footpaths and non-motorised transport (NMT) lanes.
There will also be an Intelligent Traffic Management System, which comprises synchronised traffic signals for optimum traffic flow, intelligent car-parking system, smart signages, smart auto and taxi stands and a public bike sharing system.
Apart from this, smart civic infrastructure has also been included in the revised SCP.
Civic infrastructure
This includes decentralised sewage treatment plants for reuse of waste water for Badkhal lake revival and waste water recycling, rain water harvesting, automated online water quality monitoring system, revamping of sewerage network infrastructure, provision of smart toilets and smart solid waste management, Wi-Fi, underground cabling, solar rooftops and LED street lighting.
Besides, weekend-eco tourism near Badkhal Lake, smart urban villages, open air gymnasiums, multi-modal hub and provision of basic services in slums have been included.
Intelligent systems
Under the head of pan-city solutions, Smart Traffic and Transit Management System having the features of Traffic Management System, Traffic Rule Violation Detection System, Smart Parking Management System, Passenger Information System and Journey Planner, e-vehicle module, Faridabad Traffic and Transit operations and management centre have been included.
Other suggestions incorporated in the revised SCP included skywalk-ways on Public-Private Partnership mode connected with the Metro and railway stations and intensive plantation along highways and roads to reduce pollution and develop a ‘Green Faridabad’.
Costly initiatives
Total projected expenditure includes Rs. 2,108 crore for area-based development, Rs.377.67 crore for smart mobility initiative, Rs.543.63 crore for smart and sustainable civic infrastructure initiatives, Rs.1,186.70 crore for smart urbanism and Rs.469.68 crore for pan-city solutions.
Faridabad’s smart city plan includes intelligent systems for transport, water, recycling, and waste management