eGovWatch: BMC adopts resolution to figure among smart cities

Berhampur Municipal Corporation (BMC) has adopted a resolution to ensure that the Silk City in south Odisha figures in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pet project “the smart cities” programme.

“We decided to fulfill criteria for the project,” civic body’s Commissioner, Anjana Panda said today.

Comprehensive parameters are set for ranking cities for the project. Some of these include self-financing ability (25 per cent weightage), institutional systems and capacities (25 per cent), existing service levels and committed plan of action for three years (25 per cent), past track record in implementing reforms (15 per cent) and quality of vision  document (10 per cent), sources said.

On the reforms front, the parameters are quick progress towards eGovernance and online service delivery integrated GIS-based master plans — for sanitation, mobility, land use, digital connectivity, disaster risk management and
climate change policy reforms, fixed tenures for mayors and municipal officials and improving revenues through 100 per
cent collection of taxes and user charges, official sources said.

“Since Berhampur is one of the old cities, we hope it would be considered in ‘re-development of old city category’ criterion of the scheme,” the BMC Commissioner said.

“Since the city’s infrastructure got a boost post cyclone Phailin and several development schemes are in the pipeline, we are optimistic of Berhampur making the cut,” said Mayor K Madhavi.

The civic body will soon prepare a vision document and submit it to the Centre through the state, she said.

While the corporation has improved water supply, it is committed to provide piped water to every household. Road and
drains would be constructed under World Bank assisted Rs 200 crore Odisha Disaster Recovery Project, Panda said.

The civic body would also be constructing a solid  waste management project in public private partnership mode at
a cost of Rs 70 crore. The Centre has approved a Rs 274 crore project for construction of pucca houses for slum dwellers. It
will make the town slum-free, she added.