Smart Karnal sets for a makeover by 2022

Parveen Arora

Tribune News Service

Karnal, October 9

Smart schools, a smart water distribution system, LED streetlights, proper collection and treatment of waste, a state-of-the-art Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) and eight grand entry gates — these are some of the projects in the pipeline that will see light of the day by mid-2021.

At present, 18 Smart City projects worth around Rs 350 crore are in progress, while another 17 works worth Rs 700 crore are about to start.

“The construction has been speeded up. Karnal Smart City Limited (KSCL) plans to take up simultaneously other projects to be completed by 2022,” said Nishant Kumar Yadav, Deputy Commissioner-cum-CEO, KSCL.

Other projects that will be completed by the middle of next year are a new MC building, open-air gyms in all parks, renovated ponds, beautification of the Novelty road, civil upgrade of nine government schools and construction of a rainwater harvesting system, he added.

Karnal was included in the list of Smart Cities on June 23, 2017. Earlier, projects to be taken up under the Smart City plan was worth Rs 1,211 crore. As per the plan, 720 acres was to be developed under area-based development (ABD) with a cost of Rs 1,022.08 crore and pan-city proposals of Rs 149.75 crore.

Now, some projects have been dropped as Karnal Smart City Limited (KSCL) is focusing on pan-city projects only, including construction of roads. As a result, the cost of all Smart City plan has reduced to Rs 1,150 crore.

“In all, 53 smart classrooms in nine government schools with audio-visual-based curriculum will be constructed by this December,” Yadav said.