Transforming Puducherry Into A Smart City

A high-value global tourism and heritage destination comes of age.

- A Shankar

Puducherry, formerly called Pondicherry, was historically a French colony and still retains much of the ethos of its French heritage and architecture today. This extremely famous tourist destination is renowned for its long beach promenades, large boulevards, colourful houses reflecting both French and Tamil architecture. The city has a highly-organised grid pattern of streets, fascinating heritage monuments and its very own Tamil precinct. All these facets have, over time, ensured that Puducherry continues to stand apart – as a tourist location and as a unique city in India. With Auroville being an important magnet, the city recorded 1.07 lakh foreign tourists in 2016 accounting for 11% annual growth. while 13 lakh domestic tourists in the same year accounted for 7% annual growth.

The Smart City Boost

Importantly, Puducherry is now a contender in Round 3 of the Smart Cities Mission competition of the Government of India. The Smart Cities Mission is intended to drive economic growth and improve the quality of life of people in the identified and selected cities. The modus operandi is to enable local development and harness technology to create smart outcomes.

100 cities were short-listed, 20 cities were selected as part of Round 1 of the Smart Cities competition, another 13 cities were added in the fast-track round and 27 more in Round 2. The remaining cities will participate in Round 3.