Surat: Surat has once again emerged as India's highest-ranked smart city as it was adjudged the joint winner of the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry's Smart Cities Award 2020, along with Indore. In 2019, Surat was the only winner among smart cities. Surat also received awards in other categories namely Urban Mobility, Built Environment, Water and Sanitation.
The awards announced on the occasion of the sixth anniversary of the Smart Cities Mission (SCM), the Atal Mission for Urban Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) and the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U), were given based on a range of themes like social aspects, governance, culture, urban environment, sanitation, economy, built environment, water and urban mobility. The India Smart Cities Award contest is organised every year by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, GOI.
Read: Indore, Surat win the Smart City Award, UP wins state award
Speaking to ETV Bharat, Surat Municipal Commissioner Banchhanidhi Pani, said "As many as 65 projects worth Rs 1,600 crore have been completed. The Corporation is also working on several innovative projects such as Bicycle for Change, Street for People, Treated Waste Water Project, Urban Mobility. Surat won big at the Smart Cities Award 2020 for showing great momentum in the implementation of these projects. And this is the third time in a row that Surat has got the first rank for Overall City Award by the Government of India."
"Surat is a role model for the whole country, especially its use of treated wastewater. The filthy drainage water is treated and then supplied to industrial units. This also ensures that the freshwater is not drawn for industrial use on a large scale. The treated wastewater is also used in the construction sector as well as city gardens. Recycling of drainage water generates an annual income of Rs 140 crore. 250 MLD of water is produced. We plan to generate Rs 500 crore from recycling drainage water in the coming days," he added.
Among the projects implemented by Surat Municipal Corporation and Surat Smart City Development Limited under the Smart Cities Mission are Surat money cards for citizens, underground garbage bins, SuratiLab for uncovering modern solutions for improved service delivery, tertiary treatment plant, Suman Eye (installation of CCTVs), dual water supply system and zero liquid discharge treatment system.
