The Smart City project being implemented in Puducherry with the French government aims at transforming the city into a global tourism destination by leveraging its heritage, cultural, spiritual and educational advantages, Chief Minister V Narayanasamy said.
Speaking after inaugurating a one-day conference on 'implementation of Puducherry Smart City Project' organised by Puducherry Smart City Development Limited, which is executing it, he said France had been consistently supporting the union territory in various developmental projects. He said France based Development Agency (Agence Francais pour Development) had signed an agreement with the Puducherry government in January 2016 to provide technical support in sustainable urban development through this project.
At the conference, an agreement was signed between Puducherry government and French Development Agency to augment drinking water supply at an outlay of Rs 534 crore. While the Agency would provide Rs 455 crore as loan, the balance of Rs 79 crore will be provided by the Puducherry government to ensure water supply in all the four regions. Chief Secretary Manoja Parida and Nicolas Fornage, Director of the French Development Agency, signed the agreement.
