Raman Singh-led Govt is all set to create a millennium city in the State that is poised to attain high standards for others to replicate
Naya Raipur in Chhattisgarh is a dream city that is emerging as a role model to many other upcoming Indian cities like Amaravati in Andhra Pradesh and Ranchi in Jharkhand. The contemporary and up-to-the-minute attitude of the present Government is all set to create a millennium city that is poised to attain high standards for others to replicate.
Chief Minister Dr Raman Singh has remained in office since 2003 having won three consecutive Vidhan Sabha elections in a row. Despite sporadic anti-incumbency instances in the State, people have chosen him to steer the State to growth and development. Over the years, his government has been widely lauded for implementing various public distribution schemes, taking a firm stand on Naxals, promoting digital technology and providing interest free agricultural loans in the state.
Naya Raipur is also the Chief Minister's mainstay as he is determined to make the city a template for change in other parts of the country. Under his leadership, several elements have been incorporated in the smart governance plan.
City Command Control Centre (CCC) is one such endeavour that acts as the centralised hub for integration of various components envisaged under the Naya Raipur ICT enablement. The body acts as the nucleus for all the city data capturing, processing analytics, consolidation reporting, monitoring and control. Teams of various stakeholders are proposed to operate on their respective areas from CCC in order to provide quality services to the residents of the city of Naya Raipur.
The centre proposes to streamline the day-to-day operations while enabling the citizens to interact with CCC through SMS and mobile and web interface. The proposed common portal and mobile applications will provide a free flowing electronic citizen service window between the citizens and administration to ensure that citizens receive an appropriate response during an interaction with the city management.
Naya Raipur is now the administrative capital of the State. The new city caters well to the infrastructural and trade requirements of the region. The city of Naya Raipur shines among the green cities planned globally in the 21st Century and stands as testimony to a rapidly urbanising India. A world-class city with state of the art infrastructure, the city is a classic example of social cohesiveness.
Naya Raipur Development Plan 2031 envisages a Green and Smart City with modern amenities and an infrastructure comparable to the most modern cities the world over. Criss Cross green walkways, Mass Rapid Transport System (MRTS) and Sustainable Urban Drainage System (SUDS) are some of the key features of the plan.
Keeping an inclusive city development in mind, the village settlements in Naya Raipur are declared as urban villages with provisions for basic infrastructure at par with the city. An expenditure ranging from 60 million to 200 million INR per village has been proposed in order to have a more equitable social structure. About 25 per cent of the total residential area is proposed to be reserved for EWS and lIG housing.
The development of Naya Raipur is planned to confirm to the highest standards of norms like Transit Oriented Development (TOD) and people-friendly movement. Walkability, bicycle friendly streets, interconnected streets, safe parking, urban parks and street facing buildings are just some of the key features of the city plan.
Conservation of natural resources has been kept in mind while planning various infrastructure projects like city level water supply, logistics hub and real estate features like hotels, golf course, sports city and themed townships. A transport network based on accessibility, affordability, equitable and safe mobility is a part of the New Raipur Development Authority (NRDA). A railway line connecting Naya Raipur to the main rail network within the country has also been planned and implemented. The four railway stations within the planning boundary of NRDA are proposed to provide access to most of the sectors and villages. Other projects in the pipeline include Public Bike Sharing Scheme, Multimodal logistics Hub and last mile Connectivity.
The development plan of Naya Raipur endeavors to make 24x7 power supply with significantly reduced transmission and distribution loss and an increase in renewable energy resources (almost 20 per cent of the Mantralaya power supply is proposed to be through solar energy). In addition, features like underground cable network, solar panels, wind-powered street lights, smart meters and electrical charging stations have also been incorporated in the city plan.
Basic amenities like water supply and drainage and sewage system are also well taken care of in the plan. With a fully functional water treatment plant since 2015, the system is being upgraded and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system is being implemented to ensure system efficiency. Naya Raipur is on its way to become a Zero Discharge City with 100 per cent piped domestic wastewater collection being implemented. If the civic amenities are planned to be world-class in the city of Naya Raipur; communication, health, education and recreation are also well taken care of.
With 75 km of fiber optic cables already laid in the city, NRDA proposes to make the city totally Wi-Fi enabled in near future. Neighborhood concept has been at the core of planning to provide world-class education, health and recreational facilities. Some of the well-known educational institutions that have already marked their presence in Naya Raipur include IIM, IIT, IIMT, AIIMS and National law University.
The city is fast becoming the choice for healthcare with many upcoming facilities like AIIMS, Cancer hospital, nursing homes and dispensaries. Rightfully, the incumbent government is judiciously at the helm of affairs with Naya Raipur poised to become a smart city very soon.