BHUBANESWAR: The
state capital shared its knowledge of the
proposed development plan for a
smart Janpath,
social equity and street art and mural at the first apex conference of smart cities in Bhopal.
This is the first knowledge exchange platform since the inception of the Smart Cities project in June 2015. The national event is expected to help the Bhubaneswar Smart City Limited (BSCL), which is the implementing agency of the smart city project, learn the best practices adopted by other smart cities and try to replicate them.
On behalf of BSCL, additional commissioner of
Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) Subham Saxena gave a presentation on the smart Janpath concept. "This would include redesigning roads, landscaping and beautification. This will ensure a safe, comfortable access for all sections of commuters. More focus will be laid on creating facilities for pedestrians and cyclists. The present traditional automobile-oriented road will undergo a transformation," BSCL sources said.
As per the concept, the total width of the Janpath varies between 35 metres and 65 metres. While 21 metres space is mandatory for vehicular traffic and two metres for median, the remaining space will be utilized for creating bicycle lanes, pedestrian paths, parking, landscaping, utility corridors and vendor kiosks. "The estimated cost of the project is Rs 80.50 crore. The work is expected to be complete within two years," officials said.
The BSCL officials further said the apex conference helped recapitulate all the experiences of the past two and half years that went into conceptualizing, ideating, planning and implementing various projects. "The constraints faced by the smart cities officials were shared and solutions sought and discussed. The churning of the ideas will help simplify the implementation of project in the respective cities," said an official.
The Smart Cities Mission (SCM) is a catalyst for transformation that will digitally integrate various facilities enjoyed by citizens. "Different cities have different priorities and based on those, the projects have been designed. For example, people here prioritized smart mobility as one of the focus areas of development in the run-up to becoming a smart city. So, smart Janpath and multi-modal hubs were planned," explained the official.
