The Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) is preparing to celebrate the first anniversary of the BJP government in the state by their ‘people connect’ initiative. Informs Nidhi Kamdar, from the CMO, “The government will organise a 'Vikas Parishad' (development conference) in prominent cities to understand common people's views on development of their respective cities.” The state government completes one year on October 31.
Meanwhile, an urban department official said that 10 cities in Maharashtra have been selected for the "city challenge" round as part of the smart city project, for which they would have to compete with 99 other cities. "Though public participation in making a city smart is one of the mandates, few cities have actually held meetings with citizens to seek their opinion," a senior official from the urban development department said requesting anonymity.
"We have set a target so that all 10 cities are selected for the smart city project in the first phase," he said. "The Vikas Parishad is aimed at achieving the aim of public participation and 47 cities which are being considered would be in the state's second list to participate in the next phase of the smart city project," he said.
