For the waterfront development, we have decided to spend around Rs.200 crore

- S Aleem Basha, Commissioner, Kakinada Municipal Corporation Kakinada made its place in the first list of 20 smart cities released by MoUD. A former Dutch colony, the city was once known as Cocanada and is a pastoral pensioner´s paradise. While it houses over 3 lakh residents, Kakinada is in many ways, a well-planned city with a grid-like network and excellent road, rail, air and port connectivity. It is also the starting point of the 796-km-long Buckingham Canal, which runs all the way to Villipuram in Tamil Nadu and served as a major transport channel. S Aleem Basha, Commissioner, Kakinada Municipal Corporation, shares the city´s smart plans with CW. Kakinada has been selected as one of the 100 Indian cities to be developed as smart. What are the current initiatives? We have started off with small, area-wise projects. The first is Ramaraopeta, which will be a pilot project to become a smart area. It covers around 2,000 households, where every house will be provided with a fibre-optic connection, Internet connections, solar rooftop panelling, piped natural gas and LED lighting. We are planning to incorporate these in the projects here soon. Solar rooftops in government buildings have already started. We are also calling for bids for modernisation of school infrastructure, including digital classrooms. After this, we will focus on roads. We have identified some of the important ones and are planning Wi-Fi connectivity for them. We will start work on these projects soon. In terms of building smart, what is the primary focus for Kakinada? Housing will be our main focus to begin with. We have found that under area-based developments (ABD), there are over 4,760 houses that need to be upgraded. They are kaccha houses (small, temporary houses) that need to be upgraded to permanent housing through the Housing for All scheme. What efforts have been taken to maintain the city´s heritage? We have some good buildings from the British era in the city; we are now identifying and verifying these as heritage buildings. We are working closely with the heritage committee and will soon start the work of preserving them. Are there any other construction projects coming up in the city? As part of the smart city plan, we are planning road development projects. It will take one month to finalise the same, after which we will call for tenders. Is there any specific project being developed under JNNURM? Other than JNNURM projects, our focus is now on Housing for All and the Smart City scheme, from which funds are coming. We are also working with the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), through which we are planning to cover water supply, power supply and storm-water drain management. What is your dream project for the city? Our dream project is to get more containers as we have good ports. Also, we want to focus on fishing. Further, the cruise option is also there. We want to promote local economic development through this. As part of the Smart City mission, our focus on fishing will include reviving the Ports Building Act, construction of fishing units, modernising the fishing station and connected cold storage units, modernising and organising the fish market, and encouraging export-oriented fishing activities. Further, there is a channel beautification project on 2.5-3 km in the water fund development plan. Tell us about the immediate investment plans, if any, in the Smart City projects. All projects are included in the Smart City plan. We have to plan in detail how to allot the funds as they come in. As of now we have decided to spend around Rs 200 crore for the waterfront development. And, for the fishing sector, we have planned another Rs 300 crore. The India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) has launched a duty-free shop at Kakinada Deep Water Seaport. Tell us more. Yes. The city has 3 km of backwaters; we want to promote tourism and develop a green view area here. We want it to be a beautiful project. It will have a health spa, Ayurvedic medications and naturopathy-related relaxing treatments. We will be promoting all these things. How will you involve private-sector players? We already have private players in the fishing sector. However, we have called for private participation in other sectors as well. Several entries are coming in. What challenges are you facing? The major challenge is in planning - making an accurate plan in consultation with the concerned people. The city´s residents expect more, and planning takes time. And, at this stage, if performance is not up to mark, it becomes a problem. KAKINADA Total city area: 31.69 sq km Population: 325,985 Year of establishment: 2005 Municipal Counselor: District Collector as Special Officer to Kakinada Municipal Corporation Annual budget: Rs.337.43 crore Smart city budget:Rs,1,993.00 crore To share your views on this city, write in at feedback@ConstructionWorld.in