The US Trade & Development Agency (USTDA) has launched the second phase of its support to Visakhapatnam’s efforts to build safe, efficient and integrated urban infrastructure.
“The next phase of the project will deliver an integrated smart city master plan that will not only recommend planning frameworks for the entire city, but also develop specific recommendations to grow four key urban centres,” USTDA said in a press statement. It will include integrated analyses and recommendations across eight priority smart city components.
“This includes critical infrastructure such as transportation, water supply, sanitation and energy, as well as citizen-focused areas like social infrastructure and resilience planning,” it read.
Since the very launch of the project, a team of US companies have been working closely with leaders from Andhra Pradesh and Visakhapatnam. Together, they have begun to identify the planning and investments required to sustainably grow and modernise the city, to make Vizag a clean commerce capital.
In another statement, it said that during the 2016 US-India Strategic and Commercial Dialogue, the USTDA announced new partnerships that will support infrastructure development in India. “We have invested in over 130 project preparation and partnership building activities to develop sustainable infrastructure across the country, with the help of innovative US solutions,” USTDA Director Leocadia I. Zak said.
Zak announced that USTDA will partner with India’s Ministry of Finance under the agency’s Global Procurement Initiative (GPI). The GPI helps countries secure better procurement outcomes by promoting the use of value-based procurement mechanisms, including lifecycle cost analysis.
Further the USTDA is working with the Airports Authority of India, to extend the use of the GPS-Aided Geo-Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) system. KPMG LLP (McLean, VA), a member of the US-India Aviation Cooperation Program, will help AAI develop a business case that encourages Indian airlines and airports to equip their aircraft and systems to utilise GAGAN, it said.
It also said that the USTDA’s partnership in the Indian energy sector will help the India Power Corporation Limited (IPCL) implement smart grid technologies on its network, particularly at its Gaya Distribution Franchise in West Bengal.
