Karnal Smart City project to get Dutch tech support

Parveen Arora

Tribune News Service

Karnal, October 14

Karnal will soon be developed as a smart city with technical guidance from the Netherlands, one of the most advanced and developed countries of the world. As per the officials concerned, the technical assistance of the Netherlands will help in retrofitting the traditional look of the city.

Both the countries have given their consent and an MoU would be signed between the two governments soon. If all goes as per the plan, Karnal would be equipped with better facilities, such as modern and smart market having all modern amenities, better roads and underground parking spaces.

Rajiv Mehta, CEO of Karnal Smart City Limited (KSCL), along with CEOs of Dharamsala and Agra, had visited various cities of the Netherlands recently, including Hague and Amsterdam, to explore the options of developing their cities. They discussed the future planning for the smart city project with the officials of various departments there.

“I had an opportunity to visit the Netherlands and I am impressed with the management of parking there. Dutch people do not encourage using cars but instead prefer cycle. Around 40 per cent people use cycles as a mode of transport, while majority of the remaining people prefer public transport — tram and metro. A very few people use their car as parking is a costly affair,” said Mehta.

He said congested market and non-availability of parking space were the two major challenges in Karnal. The technical support from the Netherlands will assist them in making the city decongested. “We have planned underground parking at three spots, including old bus stand, old building of KMC and old vegetable market, for providing better parking facility to people,” the Commissioner said.

The Netherlands government was very impressed with the proposal of KMC to develop heritage corridor on the pattern of Mahabharata along the Western Yamuna Canal, he said. Their main aim was to develop Karnal as a tourist hub. Netherlands would also assist the KMC in this project.

“We have also planned to develop a new plaza to give a new shape to the market so that people could enjoy their shopping more,” he said.

Mehta said around 720 acres of land would be developed as smart.

Key challenges 

• Congested markets
• Non-availability of parking space
• Major works on anvil
• Planned underground parking at three spots — old bus stand, old building of KMC and old vegetable market — for better parking facility
• Heritage corridor on the pattern of Mahabharata along the Western Yamuna Canal
• A new plaza to give a new shape to the market