Consider these scenarios:
A whollyWi-Fi-enabled city where citizens can connect to work while resting under a tree in their neighbourhood park. A universal ID card that can be used for cashless dealings and also acts as a key to enter your building with progressive security systems. A devoted mobile app that can be used in a disaster to summon an emergency response team in less than 10 minutes. It is like a Hollywood movie with a plot set in the future.
These structures may seem to be somewhat futuristic but are already a reality at Palava, a greenfield first-of-its-kind smart city project coming up quickly on the outskirts of Mumbai. The project’s individuality lies in the fact that a real estate developer is developing it, rather than any nodal agency in Urban Scheduling. With over 25,000 homes sold in 6 years since its beginning, the city is deliberately a home to 4 lac families and have 3.5 lac jobs in its business district by 2025.
For Palava, the city developer Lodha Group has a permit agreement with Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Co. Ltd for near-continuous electricity supply and solar powering its street lights. It has a connection with General Electric Co. (GE) for 100% flush water recycling, and automated water metering and billing to confirmshot and zero water loss. The city has also tied up with IBM to incorporate its smarter cities technology using advanced, data-driven systems to integrate information from all city processes into a single system, to improve proficiency and deliver an enhanced quality of life for the residents.
Shaishav Dharia, Regional CEO (Palava) at Lodha Group, claims that only 5% of the project's total cost is allocated to information technology. He continues, "The Lodha Group has also established Palava City Management Association with urban experts and citizens as members to deal with day-to-day issues, as well as a 311-grievance helpline number, 911 emergency helpline number, and a mobile app. 500 security cameras with real-time data recording are also a part of Palava's smart technology, which will also support facial recognition for access in the future and include panic alerts every 200 metres. Every Palava resident will receive a smart card that will enable cashless transactions at retail establishments, bus transportation, access to public Wi-Fi inside of Palava's buildings, building and commercial point entry, and information access from the Palava command centre.”
Two operational schools, the Lodha World School and Pawar Public School offer all recognized Indian and international syllabi. Shri Ram Universal School (from the stable of “Shri Ram Schools” widely approved as the holy grail of schooling in India) is set to open shortly. “My children and I love to cycle, and we do it just for ease around the riverside esplanade or even to catch the latest movie at PVR at the neighbourhood Xperia Mall! Everything is just a 5-minute ride from my home; therefore, one doesn’t have to rush all the time,” says Tasneem Pithawala, a resident of South Mumbai who bought a golf-course facing villa at Palava in 2013.
The potential for smart cities in India is hugesomething that makes Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 100 smart cities goal an attainable one. “India’s urban population will reach 590 million by 2030, living in at least 60 cities with a people of more than one million, requiring an investment of $1.2 trillion by the government for their development,” Dharia says.
The Maharashtra State Government has given its nod to the building of a 21km flyover opening from Kalyan, the first step towards building the Mumbai-Nagpur super highway. Furthermore, to the same, there is a 1.7km road tunnel prearranged to connect Airoli in Navi Mumbai to Shil-phata. And the most recent statement is that of the 7.5km JVLR-Khoparkhairane-Ghansoli Bridge, to deliver a unifiedcorridor for travelling to Kalyan, Thane, and Dombivli, and provide a direct corridor to the upcoming second international airport.
A Lodha Group representative revealed the plans for the near future, saying that Palava will soon have a sports complex that meets Olympic standards, a centre for arts and culture, 20 schools, and much more. Real estate developers frequently follow trends impulsively, but Palava's methodical planning and innovative implementation appear to mark the beginning of India's Smart City growth. It will be interesting to see if this establishes the path that others will take.This Greenfield project by the Lodha group offers professional sportsfacilities, amusing gardens and parks and over 60% of open spaces.
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