MC bags Smart City award for Pakhowal road ROB/RUBs project
Adding another feather to their cap, the Municipal Corporation (MC), Ludhiana, and Ludhiana Smart City Limited (LSCL) bagged the Smart City award for the Pakhowal road Railway Overbridge (ROB)/Railway underbridges (RUB) project during the 10th Smart Cities India Expo held in Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, on Friday.
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), GoI, presented the award to the LSCL under the category of ‘Innovative Transport Solution for the city’.
MC Commissioner-cum-Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the LSCL Aaditya Dachalwal was felicitated with the award by former Joint Director (Finance), National Capital Region Planning Board, MoHUA, Rajeev Chadha; Joint Secretary, Ministry of Science and technology, A Dhanalakshmi, and founder and chief architect, Shilpa Architects Planners Designers Private Limited, Sheila Sriprakash, in Delhi on Friday.
Nodal officer (Smart City Mission) SE Sanjay Kanwar and Executive Engineer Balwinder Singh were among other officials who accompanied the MC chief.
Dachalwal said the project had been taken up at a cost of around Rs 130 crore (including the cost of the railway portion) under the Smart City mission and it had provided a major relief to residents in terms of movement of traffic. One ROB and two RUBs have been constructed under the project with advanced techniques which minimised environmental impact. The project was taken up to address persistent challenges of traffic congestion, frequent delays due to railway crossings and poor connectivity in one of Ludhiana’s busiest corridors.
The project aligns with core objectives of the Smart Cities Mission by enhancing urban mobility, ensuring safety and adopting sustainable engineering practices. Eco-friendly materials and techniques were utilised under the project that minimise environmental impact.
By addressing the longstanding issue of traffic congestion, the project had significantly reduced travel time and fuel consumption for daily commuters. The elimination of level crossings had minimised the risk of accidents involving vehicles and pedestrians, the MC Commissioner said.
In January 2024, the LSCL had bagged ‘Best Retrofit Green Spaces Award’ during the Smart Cities India Awards, organised by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) in Delhi. It was bagged for Retrofitting of Leisure Valley adjoining Municipal Corporation’s (MC) Zone D office in Sarabha Nagar.
In December 2023, the MC had bagged ‘Best Energy Conservation Award’ for ‘Smart LED street lights project’ at the 4th Elets National Urban Innovation Summit held in Chandigarh.
In December 2022, the civic body had also bagged the ‘Energy Efficient Solution of the Year award’ during the National Digital Transformation Conclave and Awards. The award was also presented to the Ludhiana MC for Smart LED Smart Street Lights project.
