eGovWatch: Cisco to work with JDA to make Jaipur a smart city

Pink city Jaipur is embarking on the path of digitisation to transform itself into a smart city over the next few years, with the help of technology giant Cisco.

As part of the process, Jaipur Development Authority (JDA) is drawing a blueprint that is expected to complete by the end of July and has partnered Cisco for its expertise in the segment.

“Smart city infrastructure will improve the efficiency and quality of services received by 3.5 million residents and over 40 million tourists who visit the capital city of Rajasthan every year.

“We will set up the digital infrastructure to offer citizens amenities including connected transport, interactive kiosks, wireless broadband, safety and security services, traffic management and environmental updates,” JDA Commissioner Shikhar Agarwal told PTI.

There will also be a Command and Control Centre as a Response Control Room to manage the city with greater efficiency and effectiveness, he added.

The Indian government plans to develop 100 smart cities by 2022. In the Budget, Finance Ministry had allocated Rs. 7,060 crore for developing these smart cities.

Governments across the world are keen on setting up smart cities, where technology can help people access, in real time, infrastructure services like traffic, parking, lighting, and water.

These technology solutions will also help city operators to improve infrastructure operations by sharing information in real time across agencies and systems.

As a partner, Cisco is helping JDA on the project, sharing its experience from other smart city projects like those in Barcelona and Hamburg that the US—based firm has worked on.

Agarwal said JDA has already called in bids for various applications involved in the making of the smart city.

He, however, declined to comment on the investments that will be made.