Thiruvananthapuram: Smart city plans get set to start

Thiruvananthapuram: Projects under smart city programme gather pace, with four projects quickly heading towards implementation. In addition, the first assessment of the Rs 152-crore IT component, which belongs to the second set of the smart city programmes, has started.   

 Three projects are expected to be granted technical sanction in the coming week. Moreover, the tender for the open gym project, floated last week, will be opened on November 22. The three projects for which technical sanctions are awaited this week are setting up of information kiosks, drinking water fountains and upgrading toilets. The smart city projects were getting delayed but now the pace has picked up, according to sources.

It is learnt that there will just be two or three information kiosks, which offer information like tourist map. These will be set up in places where most people frequent. One of the points which are being considered is near the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation main office. This could be positioned to benefit visitors to the Museum. 

Though hardly a stone's throw away from the Corporation, since Museum lies right outside the 1,400 acres demarcated for Area-Based Development, no information kiosk can be set up there. So the smart city team will consider a point close to both the Corporation and the Museum. The final decision will be made based on the space available on the site.

All smart city projects are being implemented in a phased manner. In the first phase only 6 toilets will be improved. Drinking water kiosks were to be set up at 25 points. 

The Rs 152-crore IT component has eight pan-city projects, including intelligent traffic system, solid waste management software and disaster management software.