Bhubaneswar tops in Smart Cities Challenge

Odisha Channel Bureau Bhubaneswar: Odisha’s Capital city Bhubaneswar has topped the list of 20 cities that would be developed as Smart Cities in the country in the first batch.This was announced by Uion Urban Development Minister M.Venkaiah Naidu in New Delhi on Thursday.Pune and Jaipur have come in second and third position.A total of 98 cities had taken part in the Smart Cities competition.The 20 cities that have found place in the list to be developed as Smart Cities are Bhubaneswar, Pune, Jaipur, Surat, Kochi, Ahmedabad, Jabalpur, Visakhapatnam, Solapur, Davanagere, Indore, New Delhi, Coimbatore, Kakinada, Belgaum, Udaipur, Guwahati, Chennai, Ludhiana and Bhopal.These selected cities will be developed as Smart Cities equipped with basic infrastructure through assured water and power supply, sanitation and solid waste management, efficient urban mobility and public transport, IT connectivity and e-governance.A total investment of Rs.50,802 crore has been proposed for the selected Smart Cities during the five year period.The investment in each city will range from Rs.1,049 crore to Rs.5,099 crore.Bhubaneswar boasts of a cluster of magnificent temples, constituting a complete record of Odisha temple architecture from its early beginnings to its culmination.The present city of Bhubaneswar was designed by German architect Otto Konigsberger in 1946.The the city is now emerging as a hub for education, health and information technology.