The Indian Institute of Technology-Kharagpur (IIT-Kgp) is collaborating with Japan’s Nikken Sekkei Research Institute (NSRI) to plan, design and implement smart technologies to develop sustainable habitats for India’s Smart City growth.

IIT-Kgp’s Ranbir and Chitra Gupta School of Infrastructure Design and Management (RCGSIDM), in association with the department of architecture and regional planning (ARP), will address the twin concerns of building sustainable infrastructure and liveable habitat.

Under the Memorandum of Understanding the researchers will target design, planning and implementation of such projects and technologies for sustainable cities. “Japan has the expertise in smart technologies and we are banking on our cultural history to take the relationship forward,” said IIT-Kgp Director Partha Pratim Chakrabarti.

Metros like Kolkata and semi-urban cities such as Asansol will be part of the plan, IANS quoted him as saying.

Shigehisa Matsumura, principal consultant for NSRI said the deal would be a “good starting point” for the fruitful execution of Smart City programme.

Projects under IIT-Kgp’s Sandhi initiative such as the Varanasi-Kyoto programme have been brought under the ambit of the agreement.

“This envisages recovery of Varanasi’s greenery, creating heritage trails and tourism in the city. For Kyoto, the vision is to recover cultural ethos through revival of hand-tools, vocational education,” said IIT-Kgp’s professor Joy Sen, in-charge of the work.