CHENNAI: The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has handpicked Chennai, Coimbatore, Erode, Salem and Tiruppur to take part in the 75-hour urban transformation event in which public spaces in the cities will be re-imagined as part of celebrations under Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav (AKAM) from September 26 to October 3.
The event would not only highlight the importance of streets for inclusive mobility, but also the role of public spaces in recreation, mental health and enhancing the livability of a city.
AKAM is an initiative of the Centre to celebrate and commemorate 75 years of independence.
According to the state coordinator for the Smart Cities Mission Sampath Kumar Subramaniam, this would be a time-bound and cost-effective intervention implemented on a trial mode involving critical stakeholders and citizens.
"Although five cities in Tamil Nadu have been handpicked, other cities are also invited to participate in the event," Sampath told The New Indian Express.
The event will be held drawing inspiration from locations like the Pedestrian Plaza in Pondy Bazaar, the official said, adding that it will follow the Covid-19 protocols. "Once the planning and execution of projects is completed, the cities will be holding rallies with various themes in these spaces," he said.
"The rallies with themes are being worked out and it will be finalised on Monday," said Sampath.
It is learnt that the Union government has already written a letter to the state about holding the event.
Meanwhile, two other events are also planned. These include Freedom to Walk and Cycle besides an event on the Integrated Command and Control Centre which is operational in the 11 smart cities.
The Freedom to Walk and Cycle is being worked out on the philosophy of test, learn and scale. "If the initiative is successful, we plan to scale it up," he said.
The event pertaining to ICCC would have nine themes. These include Freedom from Waste, Freedom from Traffic, Freedom from Crime, Freedom from Water Scarcity, Freedom from Queues, Freedom from GHCs, Freedom from Pollution, Freedom from Disease and Freedom from Inefficiency. The themes will highlight the effectiveness of ICCC in ensuring the goals are met.