Thiruvananthapuram: The three-day APAC Smart & Sustainable City Conclave has been a huge hit. Close to 1,000 people comprising decision makers from 20 State Governments in India and other countries took part in the opening day. The conclave is being organized in association with Smart City Thiruvananthapuram Limited (SCTL) and Government of Kerala.
Dr Vishwas Mehta, IAS, Chief Secretary, Government of Kerala said that there are six lakh villages in India and every day people migrate to cities. He further added, none of the towns were designed for such exponential growth. He also gave a clarion call to administrators not to forget the people who live in the fringes of the city and all projects should be inclusive.”
G Asok Kumar, IAS, Additional Secretary, Mission Director, National Water Mission, Ministry of Jal Shakti, Govt of India appreciated the Smart City Thiruvananthapuram Limited (SCTL) on the head start they achieved in completing the tendering of all projects. He also advised SCTL to turn the city into an aviation hub as it was strategically located and has a huge potential.
S V R Srinivas, IAS, Principal Secretary, Dept of Housing, Government of Maharashtra said no city can be smart without addressing the issue of housing and that few cities can boast of a robust public transport system.
Speaking about the success of cities from the western world perspective, Gert Heijkoop, Consul General of the Kingdom of Netherlands said, “In Netherlands we keep the cities small, less than one million.” He went to emphasize the importance of education and gave the example of Ghana whose GDP was the same of South Korea in 1960 but the latter developed fast as they invested in education.”
P Bala Kiran, CEO, SCTL said that the city was being brought under a web of cameras and the smart initiatives being taken up in building smart roads, combating mosquito menace, getting rid of landfills that were filled with waste, upgrading anganwadis and setting up the Integrated Command and Control Centre which would integrate all the departments for a seamless service was done.”
