Varanasi is known as the city of light for its culture and heritage. This city has been ranked as one of the top 20 Smart cities. Along with Amritsar, the city has taken up to catch up with the level of development and make the city an extraordinary place to be.
Among the 100 cities participating in this initiative, to ensure the progression and achievement of all goals set for each city. The centre has paired up 20 cities progressing toward their vision quickly to help speed the process. The Smart City Varanasi, a prime constituency of the Prime Minister, has started several initiatives under the smart city project. Varanasi Smart City Limited has been formed as the Ministry of Urban Development initiative by the Government of India.
This article details Smart City Varanasi’s vision, objectives, planned projects, and several enthralling citizen services.
Table of contents
Smart City Varanasi Objectives
The Varanasi Smart City (VSCL) aims to promote the cities that provide soul infrastructure and allow its citizens to live decent lives in a clean, growing, and smart environment. The objectives of this phase are as follows:
- Synthesise and restore the broken or tarnished segments of the Ganga Ghats.
- Revive the identity and the condition of the holy ghats.
- Provide general facilities for tourists and improve the connectivity to the Ghats.
- The utilisation of barren land.
- Creation of recreational spots and public services.
- Ensure citizen engagement
- Create focal or attraction points for Varanasi.
- Boost property visibility and value.
- Create rainwater harvesting spots.
- Visual enhancements by plantations, painting and arrangements.
- Designated areas for all kids.
- Developing sprawling parks and green spots.
- Preservation of historical buildings
- Preservation and cleaning of the Ganges.
Smart City Varanasi’s Vision
Smart City Varanasi is a visionary project to transform Varanasi into a modern, sustainable, and efficient city. Some key points about the Smart City Varanasi vision are:
- Smart City Varanasi aims to leverage technology to improve citizens’ quality of life, enhance public services, and promote economic growth.
- The project focuses on six key areas: smart mobility, smart governance, smart energy, smart environment, smart buildings, and smart citizen engagement.
- To improve mobility, it aims to develop a modern public transport system, smart traffic management, and pedestrian-friendly streets.
- Smart governance initiatives include implementing e-governance systems to improve transparency and accountability and using data analytics to inform decision-making.
- Promoting renewable energy sources and improving energy efficiency is the vision to create a smarter environment.
- Smart environment initiatives include promoting green spaces, waste management, and pollution control.
- Smart building ideas aim to improve energy efficiency and sustainability through technology and innovative design.
- Smart citizen engagement initiatives involve using technology to facilitate citizen participation in decision-making processes and promote a sense of community.
Smart City Varanasi Projects
Work Order
State | City | Project Name | Sector | Impact | Implementationg Agency | Project Milestones | DPR Cost and Project Cost |
Uttar Pradesh | Varanasi | Re-Development of Dr Sampoornan and Sports Stadium At Sigra Varanasi on EPC Mode |
Social Sectors Health, and Education | Improvement of Health and Education services in Varanasi | MHPL India Pvt. Lmtd | Work order issues, work at tender stage | 109.36 Cr |
Uttar Pradesh | Varanasi | Development and Beautification of Sonia Pond | Area development | Preservation of the environment | M/s Kamal Narayan Singh | The project was dropped according to the directives from the VSCL board on account of land ownership and court cases | 1.44 Cr |
Uttar Pradesh | Varanasi | Phase-III Development and eco-system beautification | Including Pollution | Access to open spaces | Bajrangbali Enterprises | Started at Site | 3.47 Cr |
Uttar Pradesh | Varanasi | Redevelopment of Adampur Zone and Rajghat Primary School | Health and Education | Improving services like education and health | Reeta Singh | 38% of work complete | 2.86 Cr |
source: smartcities.gov.in
Work Completed–
State | City | Project Name | Sector | Impact | Implentating Agency | Project Milestones | DPR Cost and Project Cost |
Uttar Pradesh | Varanasi | Development of 81 Heritage Sites of Varanasi and all 4 Kunds | Area Development | Conservation and Utilisation of existing resource | Nagar Nigam of Varanasi | All 81 Sites are completed | 0 |
Uttar Pradesh | Varanasi | Adaptaion and Acquiring Fire Bikes | Safety and Security | Improving safety among the citizens | Fire Department | Fire Fighting Bikes launched during the NRI Summit | 0 |
Uttar Pradesh | Varanasi | Renovation and rehabilitation of Bhagwanpur, Dinapur, Kania and five pumping stations | Sewage and Septage | Improving sanitization in the area | Jal Nigam of UP | All Stated Work is complete | 0 |
Uttar Pradesh | Varanasi | Installationn of Dustbins at Ghats | Solid Waste Management | Improved Sanitation Condition | Nagar Nigam Varanasi | 80 Dustbins installed at 27 Ghats under a scheme funded by the Ministry of Tourism | 0 |
Uttar Pradesh | Varanasi | Redevelopment of Harshchadra Ghat and the Electrical Crematorium | Area Development | Reduced Pollution | Gail | 100% | 1.55 Cr |
source: smartcities.gov.in
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Smart City Gwalior | Gwalior Smart Cities Projects & Mission |
Smart City Kota | Kota Smart Cities Projects & Mission |
Smart City Varanasi Map
All of the Smart City Varanasi initiatives are represented on the map below.
![smart city varanasi map](https://www.squareyards.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/varanasi_map.jpg)
source: nnvns[dot]org[dot]in
Smart City Varanasi: E-Citizen Services
The Smart City portal has a plethora of information published under public interest. The portal offers several services, which include the following–
- Rickshaw E- Pass
- Apply for a new and updated E- pass.
- Check the status of the E-pass.
- Street Vendor Registration
- If you are applying for vending pass.
- Check the status of the application.
- Street vendor list.
- Boating Services
- Registration for Boat services.
FAQ’s about Varanasi Smart City
Q1. Is Varanasi on the smart city list?
Having recently been on the list of top 20 smart cities, Varanasi has been included in many projects under the Smart City initiative to make the place extraordinary.
Q2. Why is Varanasi called a smart city?
Varanasi has been chosen as one of the cities to execute the smart city project to make the home of Ganga more scenic and portrays the history of Hindu culture.
Q3. Is Varanasi a metro city?
Yes, Varanasi is a metropolitan city.
Q4. What is the cost of living in Varanasi?
The average cost of living in Varanasi is estimated to be around 28,000, which comes under the top 2% of the least expensive cities in the world.