KOHIMA, Mar 31 (NEPS): Kohima City, which is Capital City of Nagaland, has lost out to other Smart City aspirants this time as it has failed to meet the benchmark to be qualified for the Smart City Development. This was disclosed by R Tohanba, Parliamentary Secretary for Municipal Affairs during a Press Conference at Kohima today.
A revised Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the Kohima Smart City will be resubmitted to the Ministry of Urban Development, Government of India, before April 15, 2016, and it is hoped that this time, Kohima will be selected for the “Smart City Development.”
The Parliamentary Secretary said they had been holding consultations with various stakeholders to get Kohima qualified for the “Smart City.” Unfortunately, they could not make it as Kohima City failed to meet the benchmark. “We are preparing to submit fresh DPR again to the Ministry of Urban Development, Government of India beforeApril 15, 2016,” said the Parliamentary Secretary. “We hope this time Kohima will be included for the Smart City Map.”
State Secretary Commissioner of Municipal Affairs, Dr. Maongwati Aier IAS, present at the Press Conference disclosed that Rs 1000 crore would be pumped in Kohima once Kohima was declared for the Smart City. He also said that Smart City project would be implemented on Public-Private Partnership (PPP) mode and, at least, five “Firms” expressed their desire for the Kohima Smart City development. So it would be over Rs 3000 crore worth project, he added.
It also said as per the proposals for the Kohima Smart City, retrofitting works would be carried out in city core areas – from Ward No. 3 to 9. It said all the overhead electric wires and over ground water pipelines would be removed that placed them through the underground service tunnel. They would also initiate building façade improvements. Other retrofitting works would include augmentation of IT Connectivity like Wi-Fi hotspots at public squares and spaces and digital information display system.
