Naya(New) Raipur - A Smart City in Making

I have been born and brought up in the city of Raipur, Chhattishgarh. I did most of my schooling from this business hub of central India. During school days, I always hated the pollution and dust which blanketed the city. The scarcity of greenery, sports grounds and gardens was always heartfelt. There were no tourist places nearby. The air connectivity was extremely poor. The roads were narrow and traffic was haphazard, with only a couple of traffic signals in the city.

In November 2000, Mr. Atal Bihari Vajpayee (Prime Minister then), declared Chhattisgarh as a separate state. I was there. I was there when the RTO registration for Raipur changed from MP-23 to CG-04. I was there, when our 1 CM, Mr. Ajit Jogi took the oath. I was there when the state government's 1 chopper ( ) was commissioned. I was also there when a lot of roads were constructed across the city. This list can go on and on. Maina

17 years later, the things are a lot more advanced than they were when I WAS THERE. Naya (new) Raipur is going to be the new capital of the state of CG. Naya Raipur is India's sixth planned city of India and 2 largest planned city after Chandigarh.

Here we list down 10 things you must know about this city of future:

1. Green City - Environmental issues have reached to an alarming stage across the globe, and there is a tremendous effort and consciousness required to save it. In Naya Raipur, about 30% of the land is reserved for greenery. The city is has flourishing gardens and grasslands making it the first Greenfield Smart City in India.

2. Fitness first - The NRDA (Naya Raipur Development Authority) has taken a wise measure to promote long lost habit of cycling by constructing smooth and safe cycling lanes across the city. This shall surely reduce pollution and improve fitness.

3. Sports is a key focus area - Magnificent Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium has hosted many 1 st class cricket matches and 3 seasons of IPL. It's the 2 nd largest cricket stadium in India after Eden Gardens with a capacity of 67,000 audiences. A sports village is being built in Sector 3, ensuring world class facilities for indoor and outdoor sports to promote sports culture.

4. An Educational hub in Making - A sound education system forms the backbone of any region. Keeping this in mind there are many esteemed universities making a mark including Hidayatullah National Law University (HNLU) which is ranked sixth among the National Law Universities in India.

IIT Naya Raipur (IIITNR), KIT, ITM University and State Administrative Academy are also operational in the city. IIM-R's new campus shall be functional soon. A number of national and international schools are laying a good foundation for a bright future.

5. Marvelous Infrastructure- The roads are wide and cut each other at 90⁰, have proper demarcations and are lit with LED lamps. Bus stops are built such that they do not hinder the moving traffic. This smart city sports an underground utility corridor which means that services including water supply, sewerage, telecom, and electricity are developed underground. Waste management and disposal system shall be made matching the global standards. 5. Marvelous Infrastructure

6. Welcoming all Industries - Naya Raipur is willing to welcome all sectors with wide open arms, whether be it electronics, IT, pharma, agriculture, jewellery, handloom, hospitality or manufacturing. Sector 22 will be a hub for IT, and services industries. About 194 hectares of land in Sector 5 is reserved for automotive, banks, handloom, etc.

7. Reliable Medical facilities - No city can be considered developed until it has reliable and latest medical facilities. Satya Sai Sanjeevani Hospital, has NO BILLING COUNTERS and is committed to provide free medical treatment and operation facilities for heart patients with no discrimination. More than 3000 surgeries have been successfully conducted here till date. A few world class hospitals such as Vedanta Cancer Hospital, Sankara Eye Hospital, and All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) are under construction.

8. Seamless connectivity - Naya Raipur will have excellent connectivity via rail, road, and air. The Swami Vivekananda International Airport was decorated with a National Tourism Award and recognized as the best non-metro airport in India in 2016. A new railway line is being constructed to connect Naya Raipur with rest of the country by broad gauge and four railway stations will be built by NRDA.

9. Tourism and Recreation: This is the most important aspect from yatripandit's point of view. Recently, Mr. Narendra Modi inaugurated the Jungle Safari - Asia's largest man-made forest safari and the Botanical Garden in Naya Raipur. An amusement park is currently being built in sector 24 alongside Lake for thrilling water sports. Jhanjh , a 2 km corridor is a true bliss for morning walkers and will remind you of Raj Path in the national capital- New Delhi. Ekatm Path

10. The emotional connect - The transformation of this pretty city of Raipur is visible to the world but only people like me can proudly say, "Raipur is not only a city but definitely an emotion for the ones who dwell there and belong to it."

Now that, I have been living in the big cities of Pune and Mumbai, what I miss the most is the laid back small town life. People actually believe in keeping their lives and things simple. For instance, people in Raipur usually relish their plate of Poha and dahi-jalebi for about half an hour with a lot of worldly gossips with the poha vendor himself.

Keep all this in mind and plan a visit soon to experience this smart, integrated city of future.

Photo Courtesy: NayaRaipur Chhattisgarh FB Page

This story was originally published on www.yatripandit.com

Cheers !!

Abhimanyu