Smart city projects to begin from May

By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, March 18: Some of the smart city projects are set to be started from May this year. While detailed project reports (DPRs) of some of the projects are being prepared, the works of some other projects have been allotted.

While the Brahmaputra riverfront is up for beautification, the Bharalu, the Morabharalu, and the Deepor Beel are up for development under the Guwahati Smart City Ltd (GSCL). The preparation of their DPRs is in progress.

Talking to this reporter, GMDA CEO Dr. M Angamuthu said: “Such projects are time-taking. They need to be studied in detail. Collaboration with implementing agencies is a must.  While the DPRs of some of the projects are ready, some are in tendering process. Projects with estimated costs of over Rs 20 lakh need online tendering. Selection of contractors in such projects takes not less than six months. Though the projects have been delayed, works of some of them are going to start in May this year.”

The DPR for command control centre (CCC), according to Angamuthu, is already complete, but the GSCL is not getting a plot of land for it. “It’s a project where all the city’s electric posts will be connected with CCTV cameras with a command centre monitoring the traffic. All the posts will have solar light connected to it,” he said. The projects under smart city are development of Borsola Beel with an estimated cost of Rs 250 crore, development of Bharalu river with a cost of Rs 444 crore, development of Morabharalu river with a cost of Rs 488 crore, Brahmaputra riverfront development with Rs 826 crore, conservation and restoration of Deepor Beel with Rs 250 crore, water ATMs with Rs 2.90 crore, smart bio-toilets with Rs 9.53 crore, the highest tiol Flag with Rs 2.58 crore and Gandhi Mandap Development with Rs 2.90 crore.

While development of Borsola Beel and the highest tiol flag projects are in tendering process, the DPRs for the development of Morabharalu river, the DPRs for Brahmaputra riverfront development and conservation and restoration of Deepor Beel are under preparations. Works have been allotted for water ATMs, Smart Bio-toilets and Gandhi Mandap Development projects.