Chief Minister TR Zeliang said the concept of Smart City is a new thing for the people of Nagaland and it is one of the dreams of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to transform the face of India.

He said Kohima, being a very old and unplanned city, may face serious limitations while rebuilding it as a Smart City. He, therefore, stressed the necessity for cooperation of every citizen and the participation of all government departments.

He also shared thoughts on the possibility of Nagaland going for a ‘Green City Project’, which will be a planned city to satisfy the aspirations of the present and future generation of Nagas. He urged urban planners to simultaneously start charting out such a project.

At the Kohima Smart City Mission meeting, Parliamentary Secretary for Municipal Affairs R Tohanba said people’s participation should be ensured to make the project inclusive and successful.

Chief secretary Pankaj Kumar said the idea of Smart City will usher in a new level of urban governance. It will focus on adequate water and power supply, public transportation, efficient management of solid waste, fuller utilisation of IT and e-governance, redevelopment of old structures, greenfield development etc.

A state official said the citizens have realised that the purpose of the Smart City Mission is to improve the quality of living and drive economic growth by enabling local area development and harnessing technology, especially smart technologies.