Kalyan - Dombivli is among the ten cities of the state shortlisted by the Union Government to be developed as a Smart City. With an aim to highlight the smart initiatives undertaken by the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) and to put forward its case emphatically for featuring in one of the forthcoming lists of smart cities, KDMC, in association with Elets Technomedia Pvt Ltd, Noida, organized "Elets Smart City Summit-Kalyan".

The Summit held on 17th & 18th of June at Kalyan Sports Complex, Kalyan, Mumbai, was inaugurated by Hon'ble Chief Minister of Maharashtra Shri Devendra Fadnavis and the program was chaired by Rajendra Devlekar, Hon'ble Mayor of Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation.

Unveiling the Government's plan, Shri Fadnavis said, "Smart cities cannot be a reality unless it is adequately backed by smart planning. This cannot be undertaken in piecemeal but should be addressed with a holistic approach, which includes infrastructure, slums, affordable housing, water and basic civic amenities. Sufficient funds would be made available for that but trust, efficiency, transparency and inclusiveness are the main features of smart cities."

The two-day Smart City Summit-Kalyan presented the roadmap for the Kalyan-Dombivli region to become a Smart City as the Government of India has embarked on a journey to create smart cities across India. The Summit also acted as a platform to showcase Kalyan-Dombivli as a land of opportunities for the implementation of smart ideas.

The event witnessed large-scale participation of thought leaders, policy makers, industry experts and other relevant stakeholders to the smart cities domain, both from private and government sector, academia and others. It would provide a unique platform for exchange of experiences and ideas from across the nation for the development of smart urban infrastructure.

Smart City Summit-Kalyan 2016 had an array of interesting sessions on various aspects of using IT and non-IT solutions for creating smart infrastructure for a holistic development of the urban space. Some of the topics which came up for discussion and deliberations included:

* Smart Cities in the Era of Digital India
* Convergence of Smart Cities, AMRUT & Swachh Bharat
* Best & Next Practices in Building Smart Cities
* International Smart City Experience

Apart from the brain-storming sessions over issues relating to developing of smart cities, in general, and Kalyan-Dombivli, in particular, the occasion also witnessed various state agencies and private companies putting up their stalls to showcase their products and expertise in the domain.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Dharmesh Jain said, "It was a phenomenal effort by team Kalyan and I would like to congratulate entire Kalyan unit for this very well organized program which was attended by Hon'ble Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Shri Devendra Fadnavis, Hon'ble Housing Minister, Shri Prakash Mehta and many big political leaders." Mr. Jain also lauded the role of MCHI Kalyan unit in supporting this initiative.

It was also deliberated that smart transport with assistance of IT would be integral part of smart city. The highlight of the event was the announcement by Oracle, to build a campus on the lines of their campus in Los Angeles, in partnership with Government of Maharashtra to take up KDMC as pilot project.