ITANAGAR, Jan 19: Itanagar has been included in the list of smart cities.
It is a big leap for the capital which was listed as the third dirtiest city in the country in 2016 from among 476 cities in India surveyed by the Quality Council of India under ‘Swachh Survekshan 2016’ commissioned by the Ministry of Urban Development to review the sanitation and hygiene conditions in 75 major municipals, including 53 cities with a population of above 10 lakh each, and the state capitals.
The nine cities chosen in the fourth round are – Bareilly, Moradabad and Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh; Erode in Tamil Nadu; Bihar Sharif in Bihar; Silvasa in Dadra and Nagar Haveli; Diu in Daman and Diu; Kavarati in Lakshdweep; and Itanagar in Arunachal Pradesh.
The number of cities picked under the project now stands at 99. Under the scheme, each city will get Rs 500 crore from the Centre for implementing various projects.
A New Year gift: CM
Terming the selection of Itanagar in the smart cities list “a perfect New Year gift to the Itanagarians as well as the state government,” Chief Minister Pema Khandu assured to reciprocate the gesture in the truest sense.
“This New Year has become all the more special by this special gift from the union government,” Pema said.
“By selecting Itanagar in the list, the Centre’s intentions in developing the frontier state of Arunachal Pradesh has become very clear and positive,” the CM said, extending his gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He also expressed satisfaction over the effort put in by the officers and officials of the UD department, NGOs and other stakeholders who have been rigorously taking up the matter.
With Itanagar making it to the list of smart cities, Arunachal Pradesh has two cities under the smart cities list. Pasighat was earlier chosen for the smart city project.
