Varanasi is all set to become a smart city with its six-pillar plan

The holy city of Varanasi, which also serves as Prime Minister Modi’s constituency, has made a six-pillar plan, called the 'Smart-Kashi' plan, which has been submitted to the centre. The plan has been made so that it can ensure that it gets into the list of 40 smart cities which would be announced next month.

The six pillars of the plan are: Suramya (Picturesque), Nirmal (Pure), Surakshit (Safe), Smmunat (Improved), Ekatrit (Integrated) and Sanyojit (Planned).

To make the plan viable, the city government has made strategic partnerships with several companies like Uber, Philips, Schneider Electric, IBM and Ericsson. The aim is to deliver the vision of a "confluence of ancient tradition and modern innovation".

When the first list of 20 smart cities was announced in May, Varanasi could not get itself placed in the list, which is why it wants to ensure its name in the list this time around.

If you remember the recent movie Masaan, which won several accolades and applauses at the Cannes film festival, you might be aware of the popular cremation sites at the ghats of Ganga. However, to make itself a smart city, the government is proposing electric crematoriums. Other than this, the plan includes pedestrian and 'Divyang' friendly streets, rejuvenated temples and ghats, a Night Bazaar at Assi Ghat, and light and sound shows, including one in the river Ganga.

The plan also includes a single access card for all public transports, utilities and heritage sites, interactive panels and digital signage for historical and popular sites, a cycle-sharing service, traffic sensors and smart street lights with LED lighting and panic buttons, as reported by ET.

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