Modi to use EU template for Indian ‘smart cities’

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s smart cities project, under which he aims to build 100 such cities, is likely to get a fillip through guidelines of the European Union that would make Indian cities more liveable, sustainable and energy efficient.

The template drafted by the EU is likely to be discussed by 28-nation grouping, country’s largest trading partner, at the India-EU summit later this year in Brussels.
The EU, which is working with Maharashtra on making India’s financial hub-Mumbai-a smart city, will help Indian cities in becoming more sustainable. The EU Ambassador to India Joao Cravinho told ET that member nations would bring expertise, keeping in mind rising population.

Though the EU has been working with the Maharashtra government since 2012 on the smart city project, Cravinho said Modi’s programme gave a new boost to the concept, adding the EU could offer Mumbai’s template to other cities as well and also assist India in heritage conservation.

"Pre-planning and subsequently planning are imperative to make any city liveable and sustainable. The advantage for EU is that it can offer suggestions in a wide array of areas drawing from expertise of Eastern Europe to Central Europe to Western Europe," Cravinho told ET. The EU is scheduled to hold a mega meet on smart city concept for Mumbai this month.

The European states are also willing to share their experience in cleaning of rivers like Rhine, and extend expertise to clean the holy River Ganga and others and suggest ideas to generate revenue from waterways.