Seeking to ensure sustainable development of cities by carefully managing the environmental and social impact in order to reduce ecological footprint, the government is proposing to develop ‘Smart Community' projects along the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor.
The Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor project envisages expanding the existing industrial areas and building new cities and bringing-in high economic growth by increasing the industrial output and building world class infrastructure. The region is already highly urbanised (40 per cent as compared to 28 per cent of India) and will see further growth of urbanisation due to increased economic activities leading to more employment and growth.
Keeping this in mind, it is felt there is a need for sustainable development of cities by carefully managing the environmental and social impact leading to a reduced ``ecological footprint.'' To set examples and catalyse development of such sustainable cities, Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor Development Corporation (DMICDC) has proposed to develop ‘Smart Communities' at some identified locations across the DMIC region.
The smart community projects are based on the concepts of sustainable development and integrate water, recycling, renewable energy, smart grid, waste management. The objective of developing these smart community projects is to demonstrate the development of eco-friendly development of sustainable communities/cities across various States and to motivate the State Governments to facilitate similar development across the region. These projects require environment friendly power generation through conventional fuels integrated with renewable energy components with the help of smart grid as well. It has been planned to meet the conventional power requirements through small gas based power projects.
The smart community project also found mention in the Joint Statement of Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh and Yoshihiko Noda, Prime Minister of Japan during the latter's visit to India on December 27-28, 2011. The Smart Community Projects are proposed at Neemrana in Rajasthan, Jhajjar and Manesar in Haryana.
The initiative will be a first of its-kind in India and its successful demonstration will help in creating sustainable eco-cities throughout the country.
