The much awaited project to provide 24-hour water supply to Puducherry is to see the light of the day soon with the Government of Puducherry and French Development Agency (AFD) signing the project agreement for Augmentation of Water Supply Source and Rehabilitation of System in the urban areas of Puducherry district on Monday.
Addressing the ‘Conference on Implementation of Smart City Projects in Puducherry,’ Chief Minister V.Narayanasamy said that the AFD would provide a loan assistance of ₹454 crore for implementing the Puducherry Water Supply Project (phase I) under the Indo-French Cooperation Programme for Puducherry.
Ambassador of France to India H.E.Alexandre Ziegler said that through the agreement, AFD would provide a loan assistance of Euro 65 million for this project. “This is the beginning of our journey. Apart from the financial assistance, we will provide technical expertise. This project will form the key aspect of the smart city project,” he said. He added that for a smarter Puducherry, better services are required. “The water supply project is a very crucial one,” he said.
On the implementation of Smart City project, the Chief Minister stated that they had formed a special purpose vehicle and instructed the officials to complete the project within four years. “Through this project, we would get 24 hours water and power supply. Apart from this, road widening for traffic decongestion will be undertaken. Focus will also be on creating space for vehicle parking, a separate lane for cycles and modernisation of the bus stand,” he said, adding that the project will help create a city free of huts.
He emphasised that through the Smart City project, Puducherry would be developed as a tourist destination.
Emulating Paris
“A five-star hotel will be built to accommodate the growing number of tourists. With the assistance from the French government, Puducherry will be developed on the lines of Paris,” he said.
Mr. Ziegler stressed that heritage is a great asset for Puducherry. “It can be developed as a global tourist destination by building it on its heritage. Representatives of nearly 23 French companies are here to attend the conference to jointly work on waste management, transport, energy sectors and provide better service to the population,” he said.
A.Namassivayam, Minister for Local Administration, said that the total Smart City project cost is ₹ 1,827 crore. “The smart city project will be implemented by a special purpose vehicle – Puducherry Smart City Development Limited which was incorporated on September 5, 2017, with a fund allocation of ₹ 1,000 crore that includes 50:50 contributions between ther Central government and the State or the urban local body. The financial resources required additionally need to be mobilised from other sources of funding,” he said.
Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha, N.Gokulakrishnan, Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha, R.Radhakrishnan, French Consul General Catherine Suard, Chief Secretary Manoj Parida and Secretary to Government (LAD) P.Jawahar were present.
