The Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation (HDMC) would submit a Rs. 15, 031-crore proposal for the smart city project to the Department of Urban Development on November 23, said HDMC Commissioner C.M. Noor Mansur. Speaking at a meeting chaired by the Minister-in-charge of the district Vinay Kulkarni here on Saturday, Mr. Mansur said the proposal focused on the physical, social, economic and knowledge development and quality of life. Transit-oriented development was the key feature of the proposal.
Some of the main features were developing agro-processing unit and affordable housing unit on 313.2 acres, knowledge city/ educational hub area on 688.8 acres and retrofitting area on 3,225.8 acres. Already some private firms have expressed interest to invest here, once these plans materialise, he said.
Suggesting some additions to the proposal, Mr. Kulkarni told Mr. Mansur to include more traffic junctions in Dharwad for development and also arrange for the widening of the roads.
Mr. Mansur as many as 20 cities would be selected for the smart city project in the first phase. Of the proposals submitted by these 20 cities, only one or two best proposals meeting the international standards would be selected first and it would be considered a model to overcome drawbacks in the remaining proposals.
