Patna: Upset about non-inclusion of any Bihar town in the first list of 20 places to be developed as ‘Smart’ cities, people of the state can derive solace from the fact that Bhagalpur has made it to the second list announced by Union urban development minister M Venkaiah Naidu in New Delhi on Tuesday.Though Bhagalpur ranks seventh among the 13 towns on the second list, the marks scored by these places have not yet been made public. The 13 were shortlisted from among 23 towns which had qualified a fast-track competition for the second list.
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Describing the development as a “big achievement”, Bhagalpur municipal commissioner Avaneesh Kumar Singh told TOI, “Our team burned midnight oil for making a good proposal. We shall now work to implement it and make Bhagalpur ‘smart’.”According to Singh, Europe-headquartered research and consulting company Ecroys India Private Limited had been roped in to draft the proposal. The proposal had also been sent to the Administrative Staff College of India in Hyderabad for evaluation.The proposal focussed on a 19-point agenda. These included mobile and e-governance, river-front development, market development, recreation facility, better public transport system, de-congestion of roads and improved vehicular movement, facility for pedestrians, 24×7 water supply, improved sewerage and drainage, door-to-door garbage collection and creation of vending zone.”Our agenda is realistic. We have conceptual clarity. Once we are allotted the funds, we will instantly start the work,” Singh said.In January this year, the first list of 20 cities was announced. While none of the Bihar towns made it to the first list, state capital Patna was not included even in the list of total 98 cities selected for development under the Centre’s ambitious scheme.However, sources said, the Union urban development ministry has now decided to allow seven state capital cities — Patna, Shimla, Naya Raipur, Itanagar, Amaravati, Bengaluru and Thiruvananthapuram — to compete in the next round.
source:-indiatimes
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