Modi US visit: Three Indian cities to be named for smart cities project

October 1, 2014

WASHINGTON/NEW DELHI: Three Indian cities are in line to be adopted for the government’s “smart cities” project by way of technology and infrastructure upgrade during IndianPrime Minister Narendra Modi’s talks in Washington that are also set to see major cooperation with the US in the field of renewable energy.

The Modi government is keen to push ahead with its smart cities project under which 100 smaller cities are to be upgraded to match the resources of the top metros. Japan has evinced interest in developing the oldest living city of Varanasi into a smart city.

Three Indian cities are likely to be identified as part of the smart cities project during talks in Washington, said an official source declining to be named.

Renewable energy, including solar, wind and hydro, would also see cooperation with the US in the field in India. Modi has been pushing for the use of renewable energy, and the visit is expected to see major cooperation in this sector, with the US EXIM bank expected to provide the loans.

The sticky issue of India’s Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) regime is also to be in focus during the talks. US firms have decried India’s IPR regime as restrictive.

The US has been irked after the Supreme Court last year rejected drug major Novartis’s plea for a patent on cancer drug Glivec in April. The Indian government also last year invoked compulsory licence on BayerCorporation’s cancer-treatment drug Nexavar, permitting Hyderabad-based Natco Pharma to manufacture and sell the drug at a price lesser by over 30 times charged by its patent-holder.

The US feels that IPRs are not being adequately enforced in India and following the grant of compulsory licence to manufacture Bayer’s anti-cancer drug there is concern that there could be more such compulsory licences.

India would also be discussing the issue of totalisation during the talks. The issue has been under discussion with the US for the past several years. India has almost 300,000 Indian professionals working in the United States and they all contribute to the Social Security System of the US, but they cannot derive benefits from the system because they can only work for about seven years under the immigration regime. Under US law social security benefits are given only if a person lives there beyond 10 year

The US is asking India to enter into a reciprocal totalisation agreement and is presently studying the kind of agreements India has entered into with Canada, where too many Indians are working.

Source:The Economic Times

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under About, Smart City

IIT-B’s techfest hosts Smart City Challenge

October 1, 2014

The permier technology institute has taken inspiration from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of building 100 new Smart Cities across the country. Gauri Rane reports

Each year, IIT-B’s Techfest focuses on development of the society through its various initiatives. This year’s theme of the annual national technology festival is to develop smart cities under the initiative — Smart City Challenge. “The motive of the competition, is to make our countrymen aware of the importance of using renewable energy sources and live in an eco-friendly environment,” says Yash Mehta, core team member, Techfest 2015. It is a brainchild of Vaibhav Kore, a core team member of the fest. “But instead of inviting ideas to design a new smart city, we thought of getting ideas/solutions to solve the problems that already exist in our cities and make them smarter and efficient,” explains Mehta.

Core members of the fest have given a multi-pronged approach to the challenge. They have come up with genres like healthcare and hygiene, trade and commerce, law and policy making and urban aesthetics along with infrastructure to develop the cities. Since all these fields are interconnected, the competition is open to students (undergraduate and postgraduate) from all streams like engineering, architecture, management, commerce, arts and design.

Over 800 teams have registered till now. In the first phase of the challenge participants have sent a report as per the problem statements in each of the above mentioned five genres. “They have to design models and sketches along with a powerpoint presentation at the end of the second round explaining what changes will their solutions bring to the current scenario and how impactful they would prove to be,” informs Mehta. The best entries will then qualify to the second round where mentors, who are experts from different fields will provide guidance on how to shape the ideas and develop them to the implementation level. The expert panel of over 50 mentors consists of IPS officers, IIT professors, corporate professionals and eminent government officers. “Getting a chance to interact with high-profile mentors is in itself a big incentive to the participants,” reflects Mehta.

Besides the prize money of Rs 5 lakhs for winners, another incentive to the participants is that, their ideas will be considered by the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor Development Corporation (DMICDC). They will also have the opportunity to pursue summer internship at its different associated organisations.

The organising committee plans to take this initiative forward by way of collaboration with other government organisations like Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), City and Industrial development Corporation of Maharashtra (CIDCO). They have also approached the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Urban Development Ministry of the Government of India, Ministry of Human Resources Development (HRD) and Urban Development Department of the Government of Maharashtra for their consideration of the event. “We have also contacted the administration of Varanasi and expressed our willingness to contribute to the development of Smart and Spiritual Varanasi in light of the pact signed between India and Japan recently,” informs Mehta.

Source:DnaIndia

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under About, Smart City

The new “Super green man” in traffic lights

October 1, 2014

LONDON — In the one-sided battle between pedestrians and the automobile, the first shot was fired in London in 1896 when 44-year-old Bridget Driscoll became what is believed to be the first pedestrian victim of a petrol-driven car.

Struck down by an automobile doing just 4mph during a demonstration at Crystal Palace, the grim sequence of events was so unfamiliar that one witness riding in the car told the inquest she felt a “peculiar sensation” as the car swerved to avoid Mrs Driscoll.

At the time, the coroner at the inquest expressed the hope that an incident of this type “would never happen again.”

Fast forward 118 years and more than 270,000 pedestrians are killed on the world’s roads every year.

Striking a balance between the rights of the pedestrian and the car driver was once the preserve of the traffic cop — a human being that could judge traffic flows, calibrate changes and react to circumstances as they occur.

But as traffic volumes increased and the task became automated with traffic lights, the frustrations all too familiar to pedestrians — lights that seem never to show the “green man” — are now tolerated as a normal part of urban life.

London, however, is set to trial a new system that aims to use the latest technology to regain the fluid responses of the traffic cop.

Source:Fox31

Called Pedestrian SCOOT (Split Cycle Offset Optimization Technique), it is the first of its kind in the world and uses state-of-the-art video cameras to detect how many pedestrians are waiting at crossings.

When the cameras count a critical mass of pedestrians, the technology transmits data that keeps the “walk” sign lit for longer to allow more people to cross the road.

Similarly, when fewer people are waiting to cross the road, the traffic is given a longer set of green lights.

The SCOOT system already regulates London’s traffic flows and has been credited with cutting delays by 12% in the capital. It is in use at 3,000 junctions in the British capital, with a further 1,500 earmarked for SCOOT upgrades by 2018.

The Pedestrian SCOOT system, however, would be the first time the technology has been used as pedestrian pinch points in the capital.

“Our SCOOT system has been used around the world for many years use to optimize and coordinate the traffic signal junctions and we’ve done that currently and historically for vehicles,” explained Mark Cracknell, team leader of the Technology Delivery Group at Transport for London.

“We have inductive loops in the road that detect vehicles, do clever analysis of the traffic patterns and then coordinate the junctions to try to make the progress through the city as smooth as possible.”

Currently pedestrians at many crossings in London get a standard six seconds to get onto the road — known as the “green man” time — before countdown technology takes over telling pedestrians how long they have left to get across the street.

What SCOOT technology aims to do is dynamically change that “green man” time.

“If there’s only a few people waiting we’ll just go for the standard six seconds to cross, but if we’ve got 100 people waiting to cross we can increment that up to the appropriate time.

“What we’re avoiding is the scenario where we don’t have enough time to get everybody on the crossing and then pedestrians have to wait for another cycle of the traffic signals to get across.”

Cracknell said the system would have the most value where the pedestrian traffic is variable, for instance outside a school or a tube station.

“During the day there might be a low flow and you don’t want to be fixed with a high crossing time when there’s no one there,” he said. “There are technologies out there that can detect whether a pedestrian is waiting, but the technology we use actually quantifies and counts the number of people.

“We’re not aware that this is in use anywhere else in the world.”

At the heart of the technology is a stereoscopic camera that allows the sensors to detect and count crowds of people in three dimensions.

“They’re vision-based systems, the idea being traditional vision systems just have a single camera and there are a number of inherent flaws with that — things like shadows, puddles and changing light conditions can cause problems.

“The stereoscopic camera allows us to get a sense of depth — discount the puddles and the shadows — and just get a picture of the people standing there.”

Despite this it’s not all one-way traffic. Pedestrians that press the button on a set of lights and then change their minds and walk away are another challenge to the free flow of traffic.

Transport for London is trialing new technology that would detect when a pedestrian has changed their mind and strolled off or crossed the road before the “green man” signal.

“This is what we call ‘call cancel’ technology and we’re trialing it at different locations in London — it’s the combination of both SCOOT and ‘call cancel’ which we are looking at,” said Cracknell.

Ultimately, however, developing technology that brings back the function of the human traffic cop is the Holy Grail for Transport for London.

“We’re trying to be more intelligent with what we’re doing. Rather than just tweaking the splits of the vehicles, we will be catering for everybody,” Cracknell said.

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under About, Tech, Traffic Management

3 Alternative Tech Startup Cities With Less Traffic, More Housing

October 1, 2014

Silicon Valley’s powerful entrepreneurial economy has resulted in some major downsides: gridlocked traffic, high housing prices and a growing and aggressive tech backlash. Today, three cities previously known more as vacation destinations are now legitimate alternatives to Silicon Valley life at a much more affordable price. For the adventurous startup or mature tech company, there’s life beyond red taillights, long commutes and protestors blockading buses.

Las Vegas, Denver and Reno, Nev., mix together a vibrant startup culture with world-class recreation or entertainment. And they all do it in places with plenty of affordable housing, a few million fewer highway-clogging cars and minus the debate over gentrification. Related: What Elon Musk Really Thinks of ‘Silicon Valley’

1. Las Vegas. Tony Hsieh gets credit for jump-starting Las Vegas’ startup scene with his $350 million Downtown Project, but the city has grown into much more than his personal project. Switch Communication’s founder, Rob Roy, is pumping money and energy into the InNEVation Center, a collaboration space that delivers some of the fastest Internet speeds in the world (courtesy of his company’s SuperNAP data center) and serves as a meeting place for startup and economic development events.

Las Vegas’ Downtown Container Park, where an enormous metal praying mantis sculpture shoots flames out of its antennae, hosts live music events along with unique retail and dining spots. It’s helping draw new hospitality sector investment like Seth Schorr’s new ultramodern Downtown Grand hotel, a gaming, dining and entertainment venue.

While the VegasTech Fund, founded by Hsieh, is a big influencer in town, early-stage and maturing Las Vegas companies can seek financing from the Las Vegas Valley Angels, Brennan Capital and state sources like the Battle Born Venture Fund and the Silver State Opportunities Fund.

Competitive advantages: Las Vegas is an hour’s flight away from California’s two biggest population centers and the center of the convention and trade show universe. Representatives of the largest companies in the world touch down for business networking and product launches. Las Vegas has affordable housing and business costs, anchor businesses like Zappos and Switch Communications and a year-round industry-event schedule. Median home prices are $164,700, according to Zillow; about half a million dollars less than San Jose’s. Related: Tech Firms Seeking Talent Spring for Spacious, Luxe Quarters

2. Denver. A healthy startup ecosystem includes companies of all maturity levels, whereby ones that have grown from shoestring outfits to market leaders might reinvest in the community. And Denver has businesses in fast-growing industries and companies large and small, young and mature. Denver-based businesses like HomeAdvisor, now a subsidiary of IAC with 1,200 employees, participate in community-building events like Denver Startup Week.

At the center of Denver’s startup activity is Galvanize, a 30,000-square-foot entrepreneurial campus including a venture capital funding firm, as well as collaborative co-working space and a social hub for events and education. Companies with origins in the Denver area include Mapquest, Photobucket, Rally Software, Cloudzilla and Forkly.

Firms like Grotech Ventures, with offices in Denver, are financing startups and are joined by large Boulder-based funds like the Foundry Group.

Competitive advantage: Denver is located in a mountainous region that many consider more of a vacation destination than a business hub. Indeed Colorado ski resorts are just down the highway and the area’s mountain biking and hiking trails are virtually endless. Denver offers all of this, while retaining an affordable cost of living. Home prices, at a median level of $254,800, are higher than in Reno, Nev., and Las Vegas, but still less than half the price of San Jose’s. Related: The 10 Best Cities for Buying or Selling a Home

3. Reno’s allure lies with its geographic location, affordability and emerging and energetic startup scene. It’s a morning’s drive from Silicon Valley and just a half-hour car trip from the ski slopes and beaches of Lake Tahoe. That mix of business friendliness, quality of life and entrepreneurial energy is attracting small, scrappy startups and the satellite offices of some of the world’s largest technology companies.

The Biggest Little City has transitioned from a gambling mecca into an entrepreneurial hot spot. Tesla Motors is eyeing the city to house its new “gigafactory,” a multibillon-dollar battery-production headquarters; Apple has already built a data center there and Intuit, Microsoft Licensing and Drone America are headquartered in town. Homegrown startups are sprouting downtown. Reno’s Startup Row along the Truckee River features cloud-computing companies and fitness-software outfits, a vibrant co-working collective and a hardware developer that builds microcontrollers.

Reno’s vibrant entrepreneurial culture includes 1 Million Cups events, hackathons and startup weekends all year long. Marmot Properties is remodeling and updating scores of Reno homes in central locations to house the influx of entrepreneurs.

Capital needed to fuel startup activity is also available: The Silver State Opportunities Fund is investing $50 million in Nevada-based business. And the Battle Born Venture Fund is a state fund that provides critical funding for early-stage, high-growth companies in Nevada. The Reno Accelerator Fund invests in early-stage companies in the capital.

Competitive advantage: Reno’s home prices are a world away from Silicon Valley’s. The median Reno home price is $198,700, according to Zillow (less than a third of San Jose’s) so nearby tech startups and maturing companies don’t have to worry about employees struggling to find homes or commuting long hours.

Reno’s tax environment is considered business friendly. And city’s startup scene is alongside a downtown whitewater kayak park with terrific skiing and a web of mountain bike trails nearby. Plus, Reno’s thriving bar, restaurant, coffee and entertainment scene includes Campo, named one of the nation’s best new restaurants by Esquire in 2012.
Source: business2community.com

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under About, Articles, Smart City

AUTODESK DISPLAYS 3D SMART CITY MODEL OF MUMBAI

October 1, 2014

Autodesk, Inc., unveiled its prowess in digital city technology by showcasing a 3D Smart City model of Mumbai, at Autodesk University India & SAARC, 2014. A digital city provides a way for the public, city government, construction communities to combine mapping, building, civil engineering, and utility information into an accurate city model that can be used to simulate the future impact of decisions at a city-wide scale.
The 3D smart city model of Mumbai that was unveiled at Autodesk University 2014, is an intelligent projection of the possibilities that the city has in terms of becoming a smart city.
• The model covers around 40% Mumbai
data comprising of South Mumbai and Bandra area
• The data also includes data related to scenario of Metro Line 3, and iconic structures.
• For developers, architects, urban planners and city officials, there is nothing quite like a scale model of your city to gain new insights into your surrounds.
• Projects related to urbanisation in the PPP mode are a function of time, money and approval. A 3D digital model, by helping in the levels of detailing, helps minimise speculation.
Sunil MK, head, AEC, Autodesk India, said, “While the world has woken up to the importance of Smart Cities, India has shown utmost promise with the government planning to establish 100 Smart cities. Our Digital City technology provides a comprehensive approach to create a sustainable city that balances economic and engineering demands with environmental and social needs.”

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under About, Articles, Smart City

Commission Dissatisfied With Smart City’s Progress

October 1, 2014

KAKKANAD: The members of the State Youth Commission who visited the SmartCity premises on Tuesday were not satisfied over the progress of its construction.

Commission chairman Adv R V Rajesh, along with other members, visited the Smart City and InfoPark mainly to evaluate the progress of work at SmartCity and to hear the problems of IT employees.

“Though the construction of the project started by 2013, it could only achieve 7 per cent completion. It is also clear that the initial offer to provide 4,000 or more job opportunities may not be delivered in a time-bound manner,” Rajesh said.

The Commission started visiting the Smart City premises at around 11.30 am and later moved to InfoPark.

“There is no transparency in their report as it seems that they are trying to hide something from the Commission officials. It is learnt that some companies have expressed willingness to launch their institutions at Smart City but the officials were not ready to reveal the names of the companies. The InfoPark prefers to start schools, flats and other affiliated institutions, but the important thing is to develop the IT sector. They also said that the first phase of the construction would be finished by March itself,” Rajesh added.

The Commission will submit the detailed report of the status of the work to the government after getting some more information from the Smart City officials.

Source:The Indian Express

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under About, Government (Govt), Smart City

Michael Bloomberg looking forward to work with Indian government regarding Smart cities

September 30, 2014

On Saturday the Indian Prime minister Mr. Narendra Modi met the former US Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The Prime Minister was seen interested in seeking his views on the ambitious 100 smart cities project that his government has undertaken after coming to power in May this year.

The US business magnate showed positive signs regarding the meeting with the Indian Prime Minister as he tweeted”Great meeting India Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Looking forward to working with him on smart cities,anti-tobacco & road safety measures” .

Michael Rubens Bloomberg (born February 14, 1942) is an American politician and philanthropist. He served as the 108th Mayor of New York City, holding office for three consecutive terms beginning with his first election in 2001. With a net worth of $34 billion, he is the eleventh-richest person in the United States and the sixteenth-wealthiest in the world.He is the founder and 88% owner of Bloomberg L.P., the global financial data and media company notable for its Bloomberg Terminal .The American Philanthropist is recognized for his work in the field of Anti-tobacco campaigns & for improving traffic safety.United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced that he had appointed Bloomberg as his Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change, assisting him in consultations with mayors and related key stakeholders to raise political will and mobilize action among cities as part of a long-term strategy to advance efforts on climate change.

The meeting between the philanthropist & the Indian Prime minister clarifies the intentions of the Prime Minister regarding the establishment of smart cities in India as soon as possible . India is getting MODI-fied indeed!

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under About, Default, Smart City

National Real Estate Summit 2014 decodes smart city

September 30, 2014

The Ministry of Urban Development has began the exercise for formation of a new policy on Smart Cities in tandem with the thought process, as conceived and pronounced by the Prime Minister Modi, in which would prevail all modern amenities and infrastructure supported and well equipped with existing technologies to enable its possessor reap benefits of modern civil life.

Disclosing this at a National Real Estate Summit 2014 organized by PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry here today, Secretary, Ministry of Urban Development Shankar Aggarwal added that the proposed policy would soon be unveiled with due deliberations will all stakeholders.

The builders and developers for the smart cities would be adequately rewarded with incentives and tax sops since 90 per cent of investments in such cities would pour in from the private sector for which the real estate rules and regulations be drastically pruned to woo their investments in them, indicated Shankar adding that the government is likely to repeal the existing red tapes to ensure optimum participation of the private sector.

“The Prime Minister has already asked the Urban Development Ministry to make all possible attempts to drastically remove old and prototype procedures, replacing them with new set of reform oriented approach to develop new real estate as per guidelines of new policy under which creation of 100 smart cities would become practically possible as demanded and required by inhabitants of modern world”, said Shankar.

The major component of Smart City, according to Shankar would comprise a Smart Infrastructure – providing roads, pedestrian pathways, public toilets, water & sewer networks, street lightning networks, signal systems, gas supply systems, solid waste management systems, drainage network, safety and security devices.

Chairman & Managing Director, HUDCO Dr. M Ravi Kanth in his presentation called for reduced rates of interest for housing activities and setting up of smart cities so that these come up within the stipulated time period. He, however, cautioned that credit exposure should be restricted to those entrepreneurs who wilfully turn defaulter and discourage the financial institutions to narrow their exposures for real estate activities for fair of increasing their non-performing assets.

In his welcome remarks senior vice president of PHD Chamber Alok B Shriram urged the government to reduce the cost of borrowing for the housing sector, explaining that this can be achieved by providing interest subvention for low income borrowers.

“Housing faces a disproportionate incidence of taxes amounting to more than 35 per cent of the cost of a completed unit. This can be partially alleviated by giving tax treatment of SEZs to affordable housing projects and providing benefits under Section 35 AD to the real estate sector”, he said.

Among others who participated on the occasion included Chairman & Co-Chairman of the Housing & Urban Development Committee of PHD Chamber Rajeev Talwar & Manish Agarwal.

Source:magic bricks.com

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under About, Smart City

Smart city – a utopian concept?

September 30, 2014

‘Smart city’ has become the buzzword ever since the Narendra Modi government took charge at the Centre, exactly 114 days ago. Since then, government offices and intellectual forums, both at the national and state level, have erupted into numerous discussions and debates over the subject. Though back home in Telangana, chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao is yet to commit on just how many of Modi’s 100 smart cities (as proposed by the Prime Minister) would come the new state’s way, his Andhra Pradesh counterpart, N Chandrababu Naidu, has gone right ahead and quoted a rather impressive figure. His estimate: 14 out of 100 would surface in AP soon.

Amidst such ambitious announcements, however, there still seems to be no definite definition for this, clearly overused, term.

While the Union ministry of urban development provides a sketchy summary on its official website, attempting to explain how “Smart cities should be able to provide good infrastructure such as water, sanitation, reliable utility services, healthcare; attract investments; transparent processes that make it easy to run commercial activities,” experts note that such descriptions hold no meaning unless sufficiently supported with a plausible plan to execute the same. What’s also missing, they point out, is a well-defined set of parameters that need to be followed for a city to qualify as a smart city, and clarity on just who the implementing authority would be.

“It appears to me that the government wants these cities to be driven by technology, much on the lines of today’s gated communities, where people would need to use a smart card to access common amenities,” said urban researcher, C Ramachandraiah, while airing his apprehension about the success of such a project. “Given that our existing municipalities do not have the capability to initiate such a programme, this would eventually slip into the hands of private parties and benefit only real estate bigwigs and tech consultants,” he rued.

It is perhaps for such reasons that, Anant Maringanti, of Hyderabad Urban Lab, categorically stated how the proposed ‘smart city’ scheme needs to be designed so as to be able to expand the livelihoods of people working in the informal sector. “A good 90% of the Indian economy is embedded in the informal sector. In most cities, this sector sustains the livelihoods of a very large number of people. If the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) can be deployed to make life easier for them, then that, according to me, would be an elegant smart city,” Maringanti said.

“Unless people have jobs in a city, what is the point in digitizing services and putting up cameras all over or even setting up open wi-fi? That does not make a city ‘smart’,” stated Sudhir K Mahon, former chief planning officer of HMDA, while maintaining that it ultimately boils down to “good governance”. “And that can be achieved through linking of all facilities and services, like water, sewerage, etc, so that they prove to be helpful to the masses. Then a city can be called smart,” he added.

Toeing a similar line of explanation, professor V Srinivas Chary, dean of research, Administrative Staff College of India, defined a ‘smart city’ as one that “can deliver good quality services to all its stakeholders, through the use of ICT, in a cost and resource effective way”. “Given the high level of digital literacy in our country, the proposition seems extremely plausible,” Chary claimed, though stressing the need for city governments to adequately capitalise on the available technology to make the project a success.

“There has to be an integrated system of governance with better coordination among departments to implement such schemes,” reiterated architect, Shankar Narayan. Sharing his definition of a ‘smart city’, Narayan said: “A city that can use its natural resources smartly – be it water or even garbage – and is sustainable and equitable to all its residents, can be labelled a ‘smart city’. Then, whether that is achieved through the use of technology or some other means, is immaterial.”

Source: The Times of India, Hyderabad

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under About, Articles, Smart City

‘Smart city needs smart populace’

September 30, 2014

The use of modern technology with ‘going green’ being the buzzword, innovation and smoother coordination between government bodies are a few key factors that can transform a city like Hyderabad into a smart city, opined a group of intellectuals who met here to deliberate on the various aspects and opportunities of building a ‘smart city,’ on Friday.

Addressing the gathering at the Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI), minister for information technology K T Rama Rao said, “The concept of a smart city changes with the country in question. A smart city in Europe might not be the same as in India. For developing a smart city, we need a smart populace and there is the need to instill discipline in people regarding all matters.” According to him, Telangana with its 39 per cent urban population has a distinct advantage when compared to Andhra Pradesh which has 21% people living in urban areas to develop such a city.

He said the government would ensure that all big building install solar power panels to make them energy efficient. “There is a rule in the GHMC Act that makes installation of solar power units mandatory in all multi-storeyed constructions. But a majority of the population is completely unaware of this rule. This could be a major step towards providing a solution to the power crisis in the city and the state. But there has to be proper enforcement of the law for this purpose,” he said, urging GHMC commissioner Somesh Kumar, who was present at the meeting, to strictly follow up on its implementation.

V Srinivas Chary, dean of ASCI, said finding permanent solution to water supply and sewerage problems was crucial to building a smart city. “As per the service delivery standards laid down by the Government of India in 2008, the water board is supposed to reduce leakage of water by 70% and make sure that there is waste water collection. We have not been doing so well in the first aspect and as for the second, it is non-existent,” he said.

He said emerging technology should be adapted to address sewerage problems, for instance, toilets themselves can be turned into mini sewerage treatment plants. “It is this sort of innovation that a smart city is made of,” he said. Urban flooding must also be tackled by installing sensor-based flood control system along the catchment area, experts said, adding, that the city will soon witness the arrival of new GPS-based bus stops where screens would be put up to give commuters regular updates the services.

S K Rao, ASCI director-general delivered the keynote address while Ahmed Babu, special commissioner, GHMC, and Somarapu Satyanarayana, MLA were among those present at the event.

Source:Magic Bricks

Written by ITW Editor · Filed Under About, Articles, Smart City

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