CII EXCON 2015 to act as an enabler to Chd as a smart city – Experts
NewZNew (Chandigarh) : “Sound and robust physical and financial infrastructure which is both market oriented as well as environmentally sustainable is the key pillar to attain the much desired ‘Smart City’ Status for Chandigarh”, said Mr Anurag Aggarwal, Home Secretary, Chandigarh Administration, while addressing a seminar on infrastructure as a key enabler for smart cities and a Roadshow on CII Excon 2015, Asia’s third largest trade fair for Construction & Equipment Industry, organised by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), at its Headquarters, in Sector 31 A, here today.
Calling for industry’s support in physical infra projects, he added that “To transform Chandigarh from a smart city to a smarter city, it is critical that the industry collaborates aggressively with the Administration because developing world class physical infrastructure needs huge funds, which Admin alone cannot provide. Furtehr we acknowledge that the projects should be both market linked, commercially viable as also sustainable in the long run. Hence it calls for huge thinking and brainstorming before actually conceptualising the projects”.
“There is a long list of public sector infra projects which could not be completed in the last decade due to faulty planning and poor conceptualisation as they were just not practically possible and sustainable. We should avoid such situations in future”, he added.
“To call chandigarh a smart city in true sense, I believe that we just not only need 24 by 7 water and power supply and proper roads, education, sanitation, healthcare facilities, robust public transport, intelligent traffic management systems, waste disposal systems but also well informed citizens and administration to take sound and visionary decisions. This is possible if and only if we put in place comprehensive IT & ITeS infrastructure in and around the city because Information & Communication Technology (ICT) is the best way to be well informed”, he emphasised.
“We would certainly consider sending a team to CII Excon to learn about the best practices and understand the latest advancements in the field of construction and smart city projects”, he informed.
“While Chandigarh has embarked on the ‘Smart City’ Mission, it is most imperative for it to preserve its unique character and keep its open hand heritage well intact. For Chandigarh to be called as a ‘Smart City’, it should utilize the most advanced and innovative technologies available to attain world class public transport, sewerage and waste disposal system, water management, power supply systems in addition to high-tech traffic management methods and well-designed roads and highways”, shared Mr Raman Aggarwal, Member, CII EXCON Steering Committee & Senior VP, Srei BNP Paribas.
“To get the latest understating on the most advanced construction, building, power, sewerage, water and waste management technologies critical to bring Chandigarh at par with global benchmarks in various aspects and deliberate with the world renowned experts, thought leaders and stakeholders like global smart city building contractors, green building project developers, banking & finance companies, machinery & equipment dealers, top construction companies etc, I invite the senior UT Admin officials and the related industrialists and CII members from the region to visit and participate in CII EXCON 2015, scheduled to be held from 25 – 29 November 2015 at Bengaluru International Exhibition Centre (BIEC), Bengaluru.
“From Chandigarh region, a huge number of visitors participate and explore options each year at CII EXCON for Joint Ventures (JVs), partnerships and deals with international clients and enhance their exports”, he further informed.
“Spread over 2, 20,000 square metres of display area and with a participation of 800 exhibitors, Excon would witness over 100+ new product launches by participating companies. There will be country pavilions, including leading economies like China, Sweden, Germany, Italy, Japan, South Korea, and Turkey. The event would also have a large presence of SMEs in the component and aggregate manufacturing, showcasing India’s potential as a preferred outsourcing destination for construction equipment manufacturing”, he further informed.
“CII’s EXCON aims to provide a one of a kind opportunity for the entire industry including manufacturers, assemblers, component suppliers, financiers and after-sales servicers to assess the current status of Indian construction equipment industry and the underlying opportunities and challenges. From live demonstrations of equipment to a display of power tools, Excon promises to give close to 50,000 visitors from different parts of India, a great business opportunity. The event also acts as a forum to position India as an outsourcing destination for components, aggregates and equipment,” said Mr Pikender Pal Singh, Regional Director, CII NR region.
