In line with the objective of the smart city mission, the city of Silvassa has set its vision for a smart city as a vibrant growth centre that offers an optimal balance between industrial prosperity and quality of life, while promoting its rich private heritage. Highlighting the initiatives the city has taken, Charmie Parekh, Chief Executive Officer, Silvassa Smart City, spoke at the Elets Knowledge Exchange Summit.
Silvassa smart city has been taking path-breaking initiatives to address the mobility challenges of urban habitats. Talking about urban mobility, Charmie Parekh, Chief Executive Officer, Silvassa Smart City, said, “We have been looking at the urban mobility aspect in an integrated manner by providing e-buses, which are environment friendly. We are providing transport services at a very reasonable cost to people.”
Silvassa is an industrial town, so many people who are commuting to work require public transport, she said. “People are also coming from the far-flung areas of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, as well as the nearby industrialised towns of Vapi and Daman. So, we have kept our buses in a way that it reaches all three industrialised towns,” she added.
Apart from providing mobility and transport to these people, the city is also targeting the school and college students and has come up with a policy for them.
L-R: Charmie Parekh, Chief Executive Officer, Silvassa Smart City and Shilpa Nag, Commissioner, Rural Development & eGovernance, Government of Karnataka
Looking at the industries and corporates of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Silvassa, Parekh said that they have started an initiative along with Bangalore smart city, which is ‘Cycle2Work’. “We are taking it to the next level – pan Silvassa – where people are being encouraged by the companies to take up cycling to reach industries,” she said. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has also backed the initiative.
The campaign calls for employees to reconsider their every mobility choice—to shift from cars and motorbikes, and cycle to their workplace instead, building health while saving the planet. “Cycle2Work will probably be carried forward in the other smart cities of India too,” she concluded.
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