By OUR STAFF REPORTER
DEHRADUN, 29 Feb: Being a pioneer in the field of urban development, Dehradun Smart City Limited added another laurel in its long list of innovative projects and programs. In order to showcase the commitment towards making the city sustainable, resilient and liveable for children. DSCL formally launched the ‘Child Friendly Dehradun’ project in Doon. The event marked the presence of the ‘who’s who’ from central and state level, including policymakers, academicians and bureaucrats. Further, the event was marked by the participation of more than 150 students from 34 schools participating in the ‘Child Friendly Dehradun’ project.
Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, reinstated the government’s vision in making the state child friendly and discussed the various policies and initiatives taken at the state level to provide safe, clean and healthy environment for children. The launch was graced by the august presence of dignitaries which included Kunal Kumar, Mission Director, Smart City Mission; Anil Srivastava, Principal Adviser, NITI Aayog and Madan Kaushik, Urban Development Minister.
Nobel Laureate Kailash Satyarthi, the keynote speaker for the event, applauded the rationale of the project and said,” If a society is not child friendly, if a city is not child friendly, then we need to re-evaluate and rethink our stance on evolution of cities.”
CM awarded the winners of the two flagship competitions of DSCL-Doon Bal Mitr Abhiyaanand Rangotsav-the wall painting competition. Doon Bal Mitr Abhiyaan was organised among the colonies, societies and RWAs to create awareness about the concept of child friendliness. Another highlight of the event was the sign chart, which included scribbled messages from school children and Satyarthi, i.e., “Make an unknown child smile”.
On the occasion of the event, the partnership between DSCL and IIT Roorkee was strengthened by signing an MoU, which is aimed at improving the knowledge management and shared experiences on technical issues. Some of the potential areas of collaboration includes electric mobility plan, public transport system, traffic plan, drainage systems, integrated and sustainable development plan. Noting the benefits of the partnership, Dr. Ashish Kumar Srivastava, CEO, DSCL said, “The collaboration between IIT Roorkee and DSCL will open up new frontiers. We have roped in the institute to provide strategic planning on the feasible actions and the designs. To be associated with top technology institute is the first step towards success.”
