DDA preparing proposal for a smart city in outer Delhi

NEW DELHI: Commercial focus may move out of New Delhi with big plans of Smart City development being made on the outskirts. Under the direction of the urban development ministry, DDA is preparing a proposal to turn areas they had identified for land pooling into a giant, integrated Smart City.
Around 24,000 hectares in Najafgarh, Kanjhawala and Narela will be converted into a model city. It will have, among other facilities, 100 per cent power, 100 per cent internet connectivity, 24/7 water supply, and high frequency mass transport.

Part of the BJP poll agenda, finance minister Arun Jaitley had announced Rs 7,060 crore for development of 100 such Smart Cities all over the country. DDA's Smart City project would be one among them. Officials in the Authority say that the proposal has almost been completed and will be tabled in the next meeting for final approval. Once it gets the nod, work on the project will begin immediately.

"By the end of this year, we should be comfortably placed to start land pooling scheme in Delhi, and at the same time we would also have in place a PMC or a project management consultant. Our idea is to ensure that by the time the developer entities, those who pool their lands and begin its development, begin work on their own projects we should have the supporting infrastructure like roads and public transport hubs in making alongside, so that the two go on synchronously. We want to create a model city that can be replicated in other parts of the country," DDA vice-chairperson Balvinder Kumar, who is overseeing the project, said.
Development is likely to bear visible results between the next five and ten years at the end of which the Smart City should be functional, Kumar said.
As a model, DDA has picked up the recently-commissioned Gujarat International Finance Tec-City, or GIFT City as it is otherwise known as, which was the first Smart City commissioned by Narendra Modi as part of the 100 Smart City campaign.

"There is a lot to learn from the manner in which GIFT City is shaping up. The area where it's coming up is barren like Outer Delhi, so we will try to replicate their efforts of water regeneration and recycling. For this we have decided to appoint a world-class consultant who will advise us in water conservation, and another consultant to advise us on solid waste treatment facilities. Smart City will be a model not only in technical advancement but also in its approach towards utilizing precious natural resources like water," Kumar said.

The Smart City in Delhi, for which DDA has been given charge, will have to fulfil the set of parameters that define a standard Smart City. These include dedicated bicycle lanes, high frequency mass transport, 24x7 water and power supplies to all households, no waterlogging incidents in a year, 100per cent internet coverage, 30 minutes emergency medical response time, and facilities like parks, retail outlets, parks, schools, and recreational areas to be within 400 metres of 95 per cent households.