HYDERABAD: With the Union ministry of urban development planning to select 20 cities in the first phase this year from the announced list of 98 cities for developing them as smart cities by the end of this year, the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation will prepare a detailed project report (DPR) for Smart City Development Plan (SCDP) for Hyderabad and get selected to be among the 20 cities.
The smart cities will be selected in three phases, 20 this year and 78 in subsequent years. The GHMC has to compete with the short-listed cities to make it to the top 20 cities so that the Centre allows implementation of projects to establish Hyderabad as the smart city.
GHMC will select one of the empanelled professional agencies listed by the central government in about a week’s time for preparing the DPR for smart city plan on different parameters. GHMC is making efforts to see that the city gets selected in the first phase, special officer Somesh Kumar has said.
The SCDP will include area-based projects depending on the local situation. GHMC will seek public opinion on the projects to be undertaken and areas where they will be implemented.
GHMC officials said SCDP would be prepared basing on Citizen Reference Frameworks. The preparation of SCDP will be based on GIS and spatial mapping and the master plan. It will list out the financial requirements of the city and sources of funding. SCDP will take care of parameters like attracting young entrepreneurs, professionals, cost- efficient and fast urban mobility, city identity and encouragement to innovating thinking.
Also a Citizen Reference Framework (CRF) will be evolved. It is necessary that a CRF is developed before a City Development Plan is prepared. CRF is basically a structured document which captures the aspirations and expectation of residents of the city.
The corporation will also prepare an Environmental Sustainability Plan (ESP) for adoption of energy-efficient and green technologies and processes. It is also to encourage change in behaviour to maintain and rejuvenate cleanliness, greenery, water-bodies, etc.
For the three plans CRF, SCDP and ESP, the Union ministry will not only provide financial resources but also help urban local bodies (ULBs) by empanelling professional agencies centrally so that state governments or ULBs need not go through bidding processes at their individual levels. Each of these plans prepared by professional agencies will be appraised by regional agencies in consultation with the respective state governments and ULBs.
Once the plans are appraised, ULBs will be expected to get the DPRs ready through their PMUs and consulting agencies. Each of the DPRs has to be appraised by the PMU at the ULB level and thereafter the DPRs will be required to be appraised and approved by the regional hubs through empowered committees.