VELLORE: The Vellore Corporation’s 60-member council passed a resolution on Monday to agree to the guidelines laid down by the State and Central Governments for the Smart City project, which has been forwarded to the Commissionerate of Municipal Administration (CMA) according to Janaki Raveendran, Commissioner of the Corporation.
The resolution reads: “The local body is ready to follow the guidelines laid down by the Central and State Governments under the Smart City project and also thanks the government for proposing (Vellore) City for the project.”
Under the Smart City project, Vellore City will receive a grant of `100 crore per year for five years. The Tamil Nadu Government has proposed 12 Corporations in the State for the project.
“The CMA has devised certain parameters and will award marks based on the Corporation’s performance in meeting its guidelines such as prioritising the needs and demands of the local body. We will follow the guidelines to the best of our ability to score over other municipalities,” Raveendran added.
The Corporation having studied Vellore’s civic issues and needs came up with a report for the development of the city, titled ‘City Development Plan’. Conservation of water, sanitation and traffic-related issues are three major concerns recognised by the Corporation that need to be addressed on a priority basis. “Last year we also completed, a comprehensive mobility plan to decongest traffic in the city with the help of State Government’s TNUIFSL (Tamil Nadu Urban Infrastructure Financial Services Ltd).” she further said.
The local body also aims to use the ‘cluster method’ turning waste into energy. “At present, we are dumping 230 metric tonnes of waste being generated every day in the dumping yard. Cluster method involves segregating the waste and turning it into resource. We are in the process of identifying a suitable site for the project,” she further said.