Need a Collaborative approach to make Faridabad Smart - Dr Amit Kumar Agrawal, Deputy Commissioner – Faridabad, Government of Haryana

CII in association with British High Commission organized Seminar on Smart Cities and Developing Urban Infrastructure today at Faridabad.

Addressing the delegates at the seminar, Dr Amit Kumar Agrawal, Deputy Commissioner – Faridabad, Government of Haryana said that there is a need for effective engagement and collaboration with urban local bodies, RWAs and industry. Ministry of Urban Development has provided the freedom and opportunity for consultation amongst the different stakeholders for creating unique smart city models as per the need of the cities. “Faridabad” being the oldest industrial belt and linked with DMIC corridor, will play a very important role in the smart city wave. He also added that the urban local bodies will also need to be made more self-sufficient in terms of finances.

Mr T L Satyaprakash, Deputy Commissioner – Gurgaon, Government of Haryana spoke about different aspects of smart city projects and highlighted  that smart grid strategy would provide real time information on energy consumption, system integration and 24 x 7 power for industry. Smart grid is the supporting engine for the smart cities and will also facilitate in city wide use of plug in hybrid electric vehicles. There is a need to emphasize on Urban transport, industrial clusters, disaster management, solid waste management, socio economic grid monitoring and neighbourhood policing.

Mr David Lelliott, British Deputy High Commissioner, Chandigarh said that UK is a world leader in open data, mobile apps, financing institutions, research institutes for smart cities. India and UK can work jointly on creating smart cities through mutual learning. The cities will have to grow while balancing their carbon footprints. The smart cities will not only require smart solutions like rapid transport system but also smart decisions like separate bicycle lanes.

Mr Nishant Arya, Chairman CII Faridabad Zone & Executive Director, JBM Group emphasized that Smart Cities provide local administrators with the tools to make more effective decisions, proactively resolve any anticipated issues and better coordinate public resources. This would entail utilizing energy and water more efficiently, preventing crime and natural disasters, reducing traffic congestion and improving access to public services such as healthcare, infrastructure and education to residents. Cities are built on the three pillars of Infrastructure, Operations and People. In a Smart City, not only is each one of these pillars infused with intelligence, but more importantly the pillars work in an interconnected and integrated fashion to utilize resources efficiently.

While thanking the members for joining the session, Mr G C Narang, Convener – Power Panel, CII Haryana State Council & Managing Director, Zenner Aquamet India Pvt Ltd said that Faridabad offers a unique amalgamation of high concentration of MSMEs as well as large manufacturing units—both critical components in the government’s growth agenda. With the right impetus at various levels, Faridabad will unleash its true entrepreneurial potential and truly become a city of the future.

8 October, 2015
Faridabad