Thiruvananthapuram: Smart City project to be finalised by March 15

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The project proposal for the smart city is likely to be finalised by March 15, as a special council meeting is planned on March 17 to discuss it. Though there is a council meeting on Tuesday, the consultants have reportedly sought a little more time to finalise the projects. On March 15, it will be presented before the technical committee. After the special council meeting, it will be presented before the State-level High Powered Steering Committee on March 23.

As the deadline for submitting the proposal to the Central Government, March 25, is fast approaching, the consultants are busy finetuning the proposal. IDeCK, the consultant agency, visited Technopark on Monday to hold a meeting with the companies there. It is learnt that they discussed various pan city project ideas with techies. While this might be to ascertain which project is more feasible for the city, sources say that this will also serve as early homework should Thiruvananthapuram be awarded the smart city project.

“Work towards implementing the project can start the moment it is awarded, as there will be a list of potential investors to choose from. The consultants spoke about various pan-city projects which they have been part of in other cities. The information gathered will help solidify the proposal for the smart cities challenge, and also serve as a database for later,” said a person involved with the project.

There was no discussion on Area-Based Development projects with the techies. For this, various convergence projects including Operation Anantha Phase II, Comprehensive Waste Management and KSEB’s Underground Electric Cable project are being considered. The idea will be to use smart city funds to devise a project which complements existing projects. “Take the case of underground electric cables. Perhaps there can be solar-powered bus stops in addition to this,” says an official.