AGARTALA, Dec 1 - The Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUD) has released Central assistance of Rs 1,024 crore to the North Eastern States to push the Smart City Mission.
Presently, projects worth Rs 443 crore are under implementation. Namchi in Sikkim has made rapid progress under the Smart City Mission.
The Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) is the �brain of a city�, integrating all utilities and services through digital technology and helps in making the city �Smart�.
An ICCC developed in a �cloud-based� system for the NE cities will have the advantage of lower cost of development, faster deployment and peer-to-peer learning among cities, said Minister of State for MoHUD Hardeep Singh Puri here on the sidelines of a review meeting of five flagship schemes for NE States.
�An MoU has been signed with the BEL to facilitate the development of a cloud-based ICCC system in the cities of Imphal, Itanagar, Pasighat, Kohima, Namchi, Gangtok and Shillong,� he said here today.
It was noted that 10 Smart Cities in the NE have been selected in various rounds of the City Challenge so far. Itanagar and Shillong have been added in Round 4 during this year.
Referring to the outcome of the review meeting, Puri said construction of more than 2.3 lakh houses has been sanctioned for the urban poor under the PMAY in the NE States during the past four years. �About 1.16 lakh houses have already been grounded for construction. Almost 100 per cent of houses demanded in Tripura have been sanctioned. Tripura did extremely well in PMAY,� the minister pointed out.
Puri said the NE States are working on the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act 2016 aimed at protecting the interests of home buyers. �Assam, Tripura, Mizoram and Sikkim have established the interim Real Estate Regulatory Authorities. An interim Real Estate Appellate Tribunal has been established only in Tripura. All States are in the process of notifying the rules,� he said.
The minister said Assam, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh would achieve the ODF status by December-January, while the entire NE will achieve the ODF status by January 2019. Nagaland was declared an ODF State on Friday, which is a success in the total sanitation programme.
Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb and Secretary of the Union Ministry Durga Shankar Mishra were present in the review meeting.
