Odishatv Bureau

Bhubaneswar: The State capital and Rourkela have emerged as the frontrunners among five cities to be developed as Smart Cities. At the meeting of High-Level Steering Committee held for the purpose at the Secretariat today, it came up that Bhubaneswar and the Steel City fulfill the desired guidelines stipulated by the Centre to qualify for the Smart City project.

According to sources, on a scale of 0 to 100, Bhubaneswar has scored 70 points while Rourkela has obtained 61.8 points. Meanwhile, Cuttack, Berhampur and Sambalpur have scored 60 points each, added sources.

However, the committee has decided to urge the Centre to include all the five cities in the Smart City project. The State government will submit a report to the Centre regarding this on July 31, the sources said.

Housing and Urban Development Special Secretary Sisir Kumar Ratho said the state government would recommend Bhubaneswar, Rourkela, Cuttack, Berhampur and Sambalpur for smart city status.

"Bhubaneswar is well ahead of other cities in the State, while Rourkela has a slight edge over Berhampur, Sambalpur and Cuttack...," Ratho said.

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