Canadian companies are eyeing large business opportunities in the planned smart cities as also in urban renewal through the government’s Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (Amrut) programme.
A delegation of Canadian companies is visiting Mumbai to explore business opportunities worth ₹10 lakh crore, which is expected to be invested in smart cities and existing cities that are being modernised.
“Canada can offer a tremendous amount of solutions for modernisation of Indian cities and 30 Canadian companies have come here to top the opportunity,” Nadir Patel, High Commissioner for Canada to India said at Municipalika, a three-day exhibition and conference on smart and sustainable cities under way in Mumbai. “Canada is globally recognised for its excellence in urban infrastructure and smart cities, which includes high-level project management and specialised technical skills and for developing environmentally-friendly technological solutions combined with innovative design.” He also said this was an opportunity for Canadian companies to learn about “the exciting developments and plans for transformation in India’s urban infrastructure and smart cities.”
Speaking on the occasion, Mahendra Jain, Additional Chief Secretary, Urban Development, Karnataka, said the focus in urban renewal had been to maintain the heritage of the location, besides preservation and conservation of water bodies. “Capacity-building is very important, but is lacking. Information and infrastructure need to be used to rejuvenate cities,” he said.
According to V. Suresh, president of Good Governance India Foundation, which has organised the event, an investment of ₹10 lakh crore will be made in smart cities and urban centres in the next few years. “The government is investing ₹1 lakh crore in smart cities, and another ₹1 lakh crore under the Amrut scheme. And the private sector is estimated to be investing ₹8 lakh crore in all these projects. So there are phenomenal opportunities,” Mr. Suresh said.
He said the population in urban areas has doubled in the past few years and there was an urgent need to improve standards of living.
