Out of the four potential areas considered for green field area under the Smart City project in Dehradun, the Shimla bypass area was found to be more suitable. The smart city will be developed as a joint venture with the Tongji University, China. The smart city proposal for Dehradun which has to be submitted to the Government of India by December 15 will be uploaded on the Mussoorie Dehradun Development Authority’s (MDDA) website by Monday night to welcome public suggestions. State Urban Development Minister Pritam Singh Panwar said this while addressing the media here on Monday.
Panwar said that proposals from the 98 cities selected in the first stage of Smart City are to be submitted by December 15 to the Government of India. Out of these proposals, 20 cities will be selected in the first stage for execution of the proposals with the Government of India providing Rs 100 crore annually for five years to the State Government. The Minister said, “For Dehradun Smart City project we considered Raipur, Jolly Grant, Vikasnagar and Shimla bypass. There are legal and practical problems apart from high land rates in Raipur whereas in Jolly Grant considerable development has already been facilitated apart from which the land rates are also high. Distance from Dehradun city, development already facilitated and high land rates make Vikasnagar unfeasible for the project. Shimla bypass is close to Dehradun city and consolidated land is available. In Shimla bypass tea estate we have identified 269 hectares in Arcadia Grant, 79 hectares in Harbanshwala and 43 hectares in Kanwali. The purchase of this land and smart city proposal were also passed by the cabinet. The smart city proposal has to be for minimum 250 hectares of area but we will be submitting proposal for 1200 hectares,” he informed.
MDDA vice chairman and project nodal officer R Meenakshi Sundaram said, “We have approached the Housing and Urban Development Corporation limited (HUDCO) for Rs 2,200 crore loan to execute this project. Whether the loan is approved or not will be known after the HUDCO board meeting slated for December 4. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will be signed with China’s Tongji University for executing the project as a joint venture in 60:40 ratio on December 11. The Tongji University has expertise in architecture, town planning and engineering and has developed three smart cities and the Shanghai Tower.”
Sundaram further informed, “The first template of smart city proposal drafted by our consultant Pricewaterhouse Coopers will be finalised and uploaded on the MDDA website by Monday night and suggestions from the public regarding the project will be taken for a week.” Regarding the land for the project, he said that talks with the owners of the land identified at Shimla bypass- Dehradun Tea Company and the East Hope Town Tea Company, are in the final stage and the deal is expected to be finalised soon. Replying to a query he said, “Though 250 hectare is the minimum requirement for the project, we have made a proposal for 1,200 hectares so that we have land available in the future for developmental works instead of purchasing it in the future when the rates will also be higher. Additionally, the MDDA also needs to have a land bank, the failure to develop which so far has been the biggest failure of the development authority.” Regarding the ongoing protest of tea-estate workers against utilisation of the tea-estates for the project, Sundaram said that various measures will be taken to ensure their welfare. A sizeable tea-estate area will be retained and maintained in the project area, he added.