Government To Select Consultants For Smart City Master Plans

The government is to select consultants for the smart city project by mid-July, according to Kathmandu Post. These consultants will prepare a master plan for the development of smart cities in Lumbini, Nijgadh and Palungtar area of Gorkha. Presently, it is evaluating bid documents submitted by various companies interested in this project.

After evaluating all the submitted technical proposals, the government has shortlisted three consultants for Lumbini smart city project, six for Nijagadh smart city project and three for Palungtar smart city project.

The financial proposals will be evaluated on June 30 and bidders will be selected. The selected bidders will be given the task of preparing the master plan.

Parag Kayastha, project director of the New Town Project Co-ordination Office (NTPCO) said, “We are planning to select the consultants by the end of the current fiscal (which falls in mid-July). The shortlisted consultants will begin the work soon after agreements are signed.”

The selected consultants will be given nine months to prepare the master plans. The master plan should include detailed information on approximate financial resources required to implement the projects, sources of funding and types of infrastructure that needs to be built.

The government has allocated a total budget of Rs 1.04 billion for the New Town Project. Kayastha said, “We will be spending around Rs. 145 million in the current fiscal year to conduct preparatory works for the development of smart cities in three places.”

A smart city is an urban development vision to integrate Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and Internet of Things (IoT) technology in a secure fashion to manage a city’s assets. These assets include local departments’ information systems, schools, libraries, transportation systems, hospitals, power plants, water supply networks, waste management, law enforcement, and other community services.