Chief secretary Anjani Kumar Singh on Thursday chaired a meeting to discuss the smart city draft plan to be submitted to the Centre for inclusion of Patna in the smart city list.
During the meet, Patna divisional commissioner Anand Kishor presented a PowerPoint presentation following which principal secretaries and secretaries of different departments were asked to give their suggestions.
The chief secretary, while convening the meet, said: "We have to prioritise the plans so that in the ensuing budget, keeping in view the civic amenities, development of necessary facilities could be carried out first."
He also instructed officials to lay greater emphasis on basic facilities such as roads, security, health and transport.
To ensure hassle-free execution of the work assigned, the chief secretary on Thursday instructed different departments to work in tandem, taking each other opinions and feedback so that no confusion arises.
Divisional commissioner Kishor said: 'The total area-based development cost for the smart city project is estimated to be Rs 2,331 crore, while investment under the pan-city area arrived at Rs 222 crore."
Kishor said: "A decision was taken to re-develop areas on either side of the Mandiri drain with street lanes to be built upon it, riverfront development from Bans Ghat area to Patna Collectorate, complete re-modelling of Patna station area, Heritage Park and developing Kamla Nehru slum," before adding: "A transport hub in New Market and Bakri Bazaar area along with multi-storeyed commercial complex are also proposed."
Arrangements would also be made for smart toilets, greenery, plantation, multi-public utility, smart waste container, smart poles and vending zones to make it more beautiful and environment-friendly.
Plans are also afoot to develop Patna ghats along the Ganga from Collectorate Ghat to Rajapur Pul Ghat with approach road to be built all along the path with cafeterias, entertainment and children parks and restaurants all along the route for which private institutions have been invited.
Again, to make traffic smooth in the state capital, automatic number plate reading system will be installed at all traffic signals in the city so that if any violation occurs, numbers of such vehicles are automatically get clicked by the camera resulting in automatic issuance of challan.
Among other measures included in the plan are building e-libraries, promotion of e-rickshaws and e-buses, sleek bus stops, water ATMs, citizen service centres at multiple places (where people can avail various services, including payment of telephone and electricity bills, holding tax and land tax) and wall paintings at several places to make Patna more beautiful. Further, for proper waste disposal, sanitation vehicles will be equipped with GPS and remote sensors.
Some suggestions too cropped up during the meeting, which will be included in the draft plan.
