Panchkula to push for Smart City status

Panchkula

Panchkula, the planned satellite city of the Union Territory of Chandigarh, is all geared up to send a proposal to gain the status of a smart city under the central government’s Smart Cities Mission.

PanchkulaPanchkula in Haryana, which did not participate in the smart city competition launched by the government, has been relying heavily on the various initiatives undertaken by the municipal corporation to get a special status under the ambitious mission that aims to transform urban landscape in the country.

According to the officials of Municipal Corporation, Panchkula, the city will soon have a waste management plant even as a garbage segregation drive is already on in full swing. To make the city open defecation free, the corporation has built e-toilets at various public places and tenders have been invited to build more toilets at all bus stops of the city. Installation of underground dustbins and LED streetlights has also been undertaken by the corporation.

In the area of healthcare, as many as 10 NASA-developed advance mosquito killing machines have been installed at various places to deal with vector-borne diseases like dengue and malaria. Plans are also afoot to install more than 350 CCTV cameras at different locations in the city to strengthen surveillance and security of the citizens.

Municipal Commissioner Rajesh Jogpal said that Swachhta Map mobile phone app is being used to take citizen feedback. “We will send a detailed report of all our initiatives to the government and ask for the special status of a smart city,” he added.