India and the United States are exploring new opportunities for further development of smart cities in India. According to recent news reports, US and India have signed an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for developing the infrastructure, project planning and capacity building of three cities – Allahabad, Ajmer and Visakhapatnam. Arun Kumar, Director General of the US Commercial Service and Assistant Secretary for Global Markets, US Department of Commerce cited the reason for further collaboration in news reports, “Though we are promoting the development of smart cities in Allahabad, Ajmer and Visakhapatnam, the Department of Commerce would like to explore further opportunities in other smart cities also”.
According to Kumar, India has made considerable progress in smart cities. A recent news reports cited how US company, CH2M is tasked with turning Amaravati into a smart capital city. Incidentally, Amaravati is the capital of Andhra Pradesh, and this will be the first planned smart capital city project. Amaravati, the technologically-advanced capital city will boast of world class government complexes such as the High Court and State Assembly Building.
According to Kumar, India has the vision and drive to become the next economic powerhouse in Asia. “We are pleased to partner with India on the development of the first smart capital city,” he shared. As part of the program, CH2M will oversee the city infrastructure that will span 217 sq kilometers and will set new standards in global economic development, offering high technology jobs. According to reports, the city which is nestled on the banks of river Krishna will boast of cutting edge technology and will see innovations in safety standards and sustainability.
