A meeting was held at SMC Karan Nagar, under the chairmanship of Keshav Verma IAS (Retd), Advisor to the Government of J&K on Smart Cities and Chairman of the Sabarmati Riverfront Development Corporation, to review and discuss various projects undertaken under the Smart City mission for the upgradation and improvement of Srinagar City. During the meeting, Athar Amir Khan, Commissioner SMC/ CEO Smart City Ltd, IAS, gave an overview of various projects, including the Srinagar River Front Development, Water Transport, Ghat Improvement, and Batamaloo Central Business District (CBD) Upgrading, including a traditional souq market and a craft exhibition centre. Verma was also informed about the general upgrade of Shehri Khaas, which included streetscape building facades and overhead electric cable rationalization/undergrounding. A thorough examination of CBD upgrades, including the Lal Chowk area, was conducted. It comprises the total overhaul of MA Road, Residency Road, Lal Chowk precincts, food Street, Flea market, Ghanta Ghar, and the public space surrounding them. It was revealed that undergrounding of electrical utilities on Residency Road and pathways around Compact substations are under construction. Commissioner SMC/ CEO Smart City Ltd informed the Dal enhancement projects, which included waterfront development around Dal lake, as well as the construction of pedestrian walkways and cycling facilities. The Shalimar canal, Nishat precincts, Nishat Sathu walkway, Nishat Habak walkway and cycle track, and Dalgate Nishat Footpath are all notable developments in this regard. The Commissioner also discussed numerous IT projects in the works, including ICCC, ITMS, SDNET, and IT-based vehicle parking solutions. Verma inquired about the time frame in which various projects would be executed and concluded while taking stock of several projects and their execution modes. He was told that the projects have been assigned and that mobilisation had begun. Verma gave orders to speed up work on these projects and ensure that they were completed on time. While focusing on riverfront projects, Verma said that, in addition to the ongoing work under various SSCL projects, it is critical to have a cleaner and healthier city, for which a continuous mechanism of planting flowers, trees, and regular grass cutting is in place so that citizens and visitors alike can enjoy walking and breathing clean and fresh air. Image Source Also read: Bhopal, Surat, Udaipur to be India's first smart cities