Singapore shows interest in developing new smart satellite city in India: Govt

Top leadership of Singapore conveyed their areas of interest during the extensive talks that the Minister of Urban Development M.Venkaiah Naidu held on Thursday with Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and former Prime Minister and Emeritus Minister Goh Chok Tong in Singapore, in separate meetings.

During the talks, both the sides decided to set up committees to further examine and concretise the areas of cooperation between the two countries in the context of India’s initiative to build 100 news smart cities, develop infrastructure in 500 towns and cities, development of heritage cities and massing urban housing programme.

Singapore reiterated its keenness to take up the project of developing the new capital of Andhra Pradesh which was first indicated during the recent visits of Goh Chok Tong to India.

Venkaiah Naidu and the Singapore leaders spent considerable time in acquainting each other with India’s initiatives in urban sector and the experiences of Singapore leadership in making the city state as one of the models of smart city.

The two top leaders of Singapore acknowledged that there is a new sense of purpose, dynamism and action in India since  Narendra Modi took over as the Prime Minister, a government statement said.

Naidu sought Singapore’s assistance in promoting smart city features like Intelligent Transport Systems, e-urban governance including delivery of services, water management including recycling and solid waste management.

He visited the Urban Redevelopment Authority and the Centre for Liveable cities and held extensive discussions about Singapore’s public housing schemes and regulations for private housing. Means of financing of urban transport infrastructure was also discussed.

Naidu is in Singapore for discussions with the leaders of Singapore on his way back from attending the Asia Pacific Ministerial Conference on Housing and Urban Development that concluded in Seoul on Wednesday.