In the meantime, the urban development ministry is giving finishing touches to its plan for the city and is expected to make a presentation to the PMO in early-September.

According to the ministry's proposed plan, accessed by dna, the city's heritage structures be restored even as its infrastructure is upgraded. Three sub cities — Sarnath, Banaras Hindu University and Airport City1 — will be carved out as smart sub-cities, interconnected by a network of flyovers. The idea is to ensure that commuting from one sub-city to another does not take more than 30 minutes.

• 1. The two will become "partner city affiliates", sharing best practices on heritage conservation and city modernisation, and cooperating on culture, art and academics.

  Varanasi, known for its temples, colourful river aartis and cremation ghats, is in crying need of modernisation, but without losing any of its character.

  Kyoto, home to Buddhist shrines and state-of-the-art scientific laboratories, has a population of 1.5 million, similar to Varanasi, which has between 1.2 million and 1.4 million inhabitants. A group of officials from Kyoto will make a presentation to Modi on Sunday, the second day of his visit, an external affairs spokesperson said.

  ref: http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/pm-modi-s-japan-visit-kyoto-varanasi-to-become-partner-city-affiliates/article1-1258230.aspx