India set to create smart, futuristic cities

India is finally set to give shape to its futuristic smart cities - world-class, self-sustainable habitats with minimal pollution levels, maximum recycling, optimised energy supplies and efficient public transportation.

The pilot projects to develop these 'smart communities' is underway and is expected to be completed over the next 18 months. Japanese corporations such as Hitachi, Mitsubishi, JGC Corp and Toshiba, among others, will design and build these eco-friendly towns along the Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC).

The DFC between Delhi and Mumbai will pass through six states - Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra.

"This is the first time after Chandigarh that a serious effort is being made to build modern cities," said Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma.

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The eco-friendly cities would provide world-class facilities with 24-hour power supply and drinking water, mass rapid urban transportation, with bicycle and walking tracks, complete waste and water recycling, systems for smart grids -digitally managed systems to control energy consumption - and smart metering.

The industrial hubs and eco-friendly cities along the Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) are expected to double employment opportunities, triple industrial production and increase exports by four folds over the next decade.

The pilots have been initiated in Haryana (Manesar Bawal region), Maharashtra (Shendra industrial region) and Gujarat (Changodar and Dahej).

"With industrial expansion pollution increases. The attempt here is to ensure that development takes place in harmony with the environment, not in conflict with it. Everything in these cities will get recycled," said Sharma.

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Amitabh Kant, chief executive and managing director of Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor Development Corp. Ltd (DMICDC) said Japan has been a frontrunner in introducing sustainability concepts.

"Japan's Kitakyushu Eco-Town has received global acclaim for its environment friendly practices. The city has successfully integrated an environment conservation policy and an industry promotion policy. It is our aim to learn from them and do better while coming up with ecologically sustainable cities along the industrial corridor."

Once the pilot programmes are successfully implemented the smart community concepts would be taken forward and executed in developing three mega cities in Gujarat and Maharashtra.

The first of these cities would come up in Dholera investment region in Gujarat, 110 km from Ahmedabad. The master-plan for the city is ready and talks are on with farmers for the acquisition of land.

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"These cities are expected to draw young people because of their employment potential and would therefore come up not just as manufacturing hubs but also as integrated residential areas. No city in the world has succeeded only because of manufacturing pull," said Kant. The cities will have several central business districts with residential areas.

The master plan for the new cities will soon be put up on the website of DMICDC to seek comments from experts. "We are starting late. So, we need to learn from others and do at least 2 per cent better."

Admitting to the challenges ahead, Kant said, "It's the toughest project anyone has done in India." DMICDC is looking at creating 500 million world-class dwellings, and will be one of the biggest urban development projects globally. Suzhou, a new city in China, is one of the models that the DMICDC is looking at. Some of the other models are Shanghai, Iskandar Malaysia and Amsterdam-Rotterdam.

To make the region energy-sufficient, DMICDC is also working on building six power projects of 6000 MW along the corridor. For water availability, it has already tied up with sites where gas grids and water is available.