Indore tops in govt's Smart City contest, followed by Surat, Agra

Indore has bagged the best “National Smart City Award” for exemplary performance among the 100 smart cities.

Surat and Agra have emerged as the second and third winners among cities respectively. The Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry announced on Friday the results of the India Smart Cities Contest (ISAC)-2022. This is the fourth edition of smart cities competition’s awards since the NDA Government launched the Smart Cities Mission in 2015.

Among states, Madhya Pradesh has won the best ‘State Award’ and Tamil Nadu bagged the second spot. Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh were in the third spot jointly.

President Droupadi Murmu will facilitate the winners on September 27 in Indore, Madhya Pradesh.

In the Urban Environment category, Shivamogga bagged second place in the development of conservancies and Hubballi-Dharwad received an Innovating India Award for drainage renovation and green corridor. Belagavi bagged the Zonal Smart City Award in the Southern Zone.

The Centre launched Smart Cities Mission (SCM) on June 25, 2015, to provide core infrastructure, a clean and sustainable environment and a decent quality of life to their citizens through the application of ‘smart solutions’.

Of the total proposed projects under SCM, 6,041(76 per cent) projects worth Rs 1,10,635 crore have been completed, and the remaining 1,894 projects worth Rs 60,095 crore will be completed by June 30, 2024, said the statement from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

A total of 845 nominations were received for ISAC 2022 from 80 qualifying smart cities. A total of 66 final winners have been identified—35 in the Project Award, six in the Innovation Award, 13 in the National/Zonal City Award, five in the state/UT Award and seven in the Partner Award categories.

All 100 smart cities have taken up projects across diverse sectors related to mobility, energy, water, sanitation, solid waste management, vibrant public spaces, social infrastructure, smart governance, etc. For instance, in smart mobility, 1,174 projects have been completed worth Rs 24,047 crore, and another 434 projects are ongoing worth Rs 15,940 crore, the ministry said.

In smart energy, 573 projects have been completed, and 94 are ongoing. In Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), more than 1,162 projects have been completed worth Rs 34,751 crore, and another 333 projects worth Rs 18,716 crore are ongoing. 100 smart cities have already developed more than 1,063 public spaces worth Rs 6,403 crore, and another 260 projects worth Rs 5,470 crore are ongoing. Further, 180 Public Private Partnership (PPP) projects worth Rs 8,228 crore have been completed, and another 27 are ongoing.