PMRDA signed MoU with Swiss Confederation for the development of eco-friendly townships.

By Abhay Shah, Realty Quarter

A Memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) and the Swiss Confederation of the 2000Watt Smart City Association (2000WSCA) to create eco-friendly and smart townships in the region on Thursday.

PMRDA Commissioner Vikram Kumar said the first carbon-neutral township will open new possibilities for individuals and upgrades in distinct industries, following the signing of the MoU, for which Consul General of Switzerland Othmar Hardegger was also present in Pune.

2000Watt Smart City will be a new mark established pursuant to the agreement to develop the new 2000WSCA and PMRDA joint intellectual property in Maharashtra, representatives of the PMRDA said.

Following the signing of the MoU Hardegger told that they had developed and will work in close collaboration with PMRDA a strategy to assist India in setting up carbon-neutral smart cities.

“Maharashtra is a significant location for the Smart City initiative and Pune in specific is an investment hub as the economy here is appealing. I am hopeful about the fact that the city project will also draw investors from India and also from Switzerland,” he said.

“The smart city design will be built depending on city structures in Switzerland, said the PMRDA commissioner. The townships that are carbon neutral will include 12 unique themes with a focus on specialized fields such as agricultural clusters, new technologies, tourism, financial technologies (FinTech), start-ups and healthcare. We encourage individuals to invest in the town-planning scheme and to develop the PMRDA property model. It can be accepted across the state if the project succeeds.

Madhav Bhagwat, who is Founding Partner of 2000Watt Smart City Association said: “This development will attract investment in infrastructure and other institutions in various industries across Pune by over $1 billion.”

Additional commissioner Kavita Dwivedi, chief metropolitan planner Vivek Kharwadkar, and local partner Nikhil Dixit participated in the event.