Tumakuru Smart City, one of the seven in Karnataka, aims to provide its citizens with safety, smart transit, better transportation and green infrastructure. BT Rangaswamy, CEO, Tumakuru Smart City, shares an update. Pace of progress The Smart Cities Mission is a dream project for the Government of India. It envisages a bottom-up approach where citizens are the most involved in the making of the projects. The major objective is to develop one area as a lighthouse that can be replicated by nearby areas. Initiatives like the ICCC, the rejuvenation of lake bodies, development of smart roads, green areas and more have helped the cities grow. Tumakuru has also taken up the smart libraries initiative, rejuvenation of the biggest lake in the city, smart classrooms, green buildings, trauma care centres and more. Impact of the pandemic The pandemic has definitely impacted timelines owing to the lack of manpower, machinery and restriction of movement. We couldn’t carry out much work for six months. Tumakuru Smart City is No. 1 in the state of Karnataka and No. 7 in the country. We have almost completed all our tender processes according to the March 31 deadline given by the Government. Dream project A major project is the command and control centre and the lake rejuvenation. We have taken up the ICCC building and a stadium for which we have used almost Rs 600 million. We have also taken up the development of smart roads and 10.5 km of the ring road. Biggest achievement and challenge in the Smart Cities Mission A big achievement is that we have developed an ABD area as a lighthouse that is a replicable model for other cities. The big challenge has been the completion of the work during the pandemic. Despite this, Tumakuru has completed nearly all its projects. Message to stakeholders Tumakuru is close to Bengaluru, the IT capital of India. One big industrial area is coming up near the city. Two national highways and four state highways pass through the city.Tumakuru is developing quickly as it passes through cities and major educational institutions. This presents a lot of opportunities for investment.