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Pasighat makes it to list of Smart Cities

By Correspondent

ITANAGAR, June 23 - Pasighat, the oldest town in Arunachal Pradesh, has finally made it to the fresh list of 30 Smart Cities as announced by Union Urban Development and Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation Minister M Venkaiah Naidu in the national capital today.

Previously, Pasighat had unsuccessfully contested for the smart city slot on two occasions since launch of the Smart City Mission on June 25, 2015.

Chief Minister Pema Khandu has congratulated the people of Pasighat after it was included in the new list of 30 cities to be developed as Smart cities under the Centre�s Smart City Mission.

�Despite being left out in the previous listings, we did not lose hope. Our determination and our perseverance have finally paid off. I cannot find enough words to thank East Siang district administration, Pasighat Municipal Council and citizens of Pasighat for pursuing with grit and finally getting a place in the Smart City list,� Khandu, who is away in New Delhi, said in a statement.

The Chief Minister also congratulated Sikkim and Mizoram as the capital cities of both the Northeastern States � Gangtok and Aizwal respectively � were included in the list of 30 smart cities.

Khandu said, Pasighat if developed in a right way can become a focal point for the Government�s Act East policy. The critical factors of infrastructure like roads, railways, waterways and airways are being developed and will soon become arteries of transportation and communication.

Smart city would not only bring good life to the people but also provide them with affordable access to health, education, water, sanitation, electricity, etc. The fruits of development would also help mitigate extremism and negate migration, which are volatile issues along the State�s border regions.

The city of Pasighat can be created as a tourism hub and an educational centre of the State. With developed transportation, the new smart city can create many industrial hotspots and absorb more people generating employment opportunities, he noted.

Under the Smart City Mission, Centre provides Rs 500 crore to each city over a period of five years for implementing various projects. According to the scheme there is space for another 10 cities to be developed as smart cities.

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