Puducherry smart city proposal was prepared and submitted to Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) on March 31, 2017 for round 3 Smart City challenge programme in tune with the feedback given by the citizens of Puducherry and their aspirations. The Puducherry Municipality has the total area of 4809 acres covering 19.46 sq.km constituting 42 wards. Based on people aspiration, the smart city team has selected the boulevard and areas around it measuring about 1,468 acres which covers 23 wards to be developed under the Area Based Development Model (as envisaged under the mission) based on Retrofitting and Redevelopment approach. The total proposed cost of Puducherry Smart City is INR 1827.82 Cr, of which INR 1633.64 Cr proposed for Area Based Development (ABD) focusing Retrofitting and Redevelopment approach and INR 194.19 Cr worth of Pan City Solutions.

The proposal was prepared by means of an extensive citizen engagement program that directly engaged more than 1.67 Lakh+ citizens and tourist. Apart from this, Social Media 1,08,210 reach through Face book, twitter, Mygov, TV 4 days, Radio 1 days, Suggestion Booths Feedback 28,400 (11%), 12,900 Off line Voting were received and various Competitions were conducted Drawings (3245), painting (2256), Essay Writing (1320), Photography (160), Suggestion/ ideas for smart solution (2430) which achieved 9,411 participants. Mass Email 5,500 were circulated to citizens of Puducherry to promote and also Household Survey - 2,600 Household survey was conducted in all wards Online survey - 4,600 participants were conducted through Monkey survey portal.

Regular press release with 54+ hits was updated citizens on the progress of smart city programs and workshops, Suggestion Ballot booths - 20 nos. of booths are established at major junctions and public gathering locations such as education institutions, markets, tourist locations etc., 12 days of mobile voice announcement were made across the city, 8610+ citizens were participated in the Public Consultation meeting that was held in all seven constitutions.

“Transforming Puducherry into a global tourism destination by leveraging its heritage, cultural, spiritual and educational advantages. Enhance the quality of life of the citizens by providing efficient urban mobility, smart civic infrastructure, smart service delivery and participative decision making.”

Based on the above formulated vision, Smart City Proposal was focused on the following opportunities and Challenges

1. Livelihood Opportunities Through Promotion of Tourism
2. Protection of Heritage and Preservation of the Unique Features of the City
3. Urban Poverty Alleviation through Affordable Housing
4. Urban Mobility, Traffic Decongestion and Safety & Security of Citizens
5. Better Delivery of Citizen Services with accountability

In line with the above vision and an understanding of the pulse of citizens, following smart city projects was proposed under ABD and Pan City Solutions.