NEW DELHI: Siemens today said it has strengthened its partnership with Sri Lanka by signing a pact with the Ministry of Megapolis and Western Development to offer expertise from its globally-proven smart city solutions.
The major objective of the Ministry of Megapolis and Western Development is to bring systematic changes and development processes into the urban community in Sri Lanka, which will ensure inhabitants of urban areas become part of socio-economic development while maintaining high quality of life, Siemens said in a BSE filing.
According to the statement, this MoU will pave the way for making Sri Lanka a commercial, naval and aviation hub of Asia. In this context, the ministry envisages transforming the entire Western Province into a megapolis to usher in comprehensive development within the next five years. The scope of work under the ministry’s purview would primarily include macro level planning of the Western Megapolis region based on bio-geophysical and socio-economic aspects. The Western Region Megapolis Development will be the epicentre towards a long-standing, firmly-established and sustainable future urban process of Sri Lanka. In furtherance to designing smart urban settlements in strategic locations of the country, it will also seek to discover solutions to resolve distinct issues related to urbanisation such as garbage, slums, energy, traffic, environment and livelihoods. Lakshman Jayasekara, Project Director / Team Leader, Western Region Megapolis Planning Project, said in statement: “We are… Happy to partner with Siemens whose expertise and technologies will contribute to the Western Province’s intensive efforts to eliminate congestion pressure on urban infrastructure, services and environment with a focus on reducing the per unit capital cost of infrastructure.” Sunil Mathur, MD and CEO, Siemens India, said, “With its global expertise, Siemens has the portfolio, the know-how, and the expertise to help cities become more livable, more competitive and more sustainable. This will enable the national economy to leverage the benefits of economies of agglomeration brought about by urbanisation.” The ministry plans to develop new cities in Bandaragama, Kadawatha, Kottawa and Kerawalapitiya. — PTI
