While speaking at the second edition of 'National Summit on 100 Smart Cities 2016', Tarun Kapoor, Principal Secretary, Government of Himachal Pradesh, said "TheHimachal Pradeshgovernment is rolling out incentives to help propel the formation of sustainable smart cities."

The second national summit was organised byBharatExhibitions.

The discussions at the summit revolved around the needs, looks and role of 'Internet of Things' (IoT) in making the smart cities sustainable.

Mr. Kapoor further spoke on how the government ofHimachal Pradeshhas incentives for those who generate power using waste. "The government has directed to control waste in areas like Manali and Rohtang where efforts are being made so that the hotels and other establishments in the area generate energy from their own waste. These are few steps which have been initiated",he further added.

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"The urban planning is an important aspect of our future smart cities," said Prof. Dr. P.S.N. Rao, Head of Housing, School of Planning and Architecture & Chairman, DUAC. "However, there is no urban planner in the picture, there is much more to uniformity in design. How you mange the garbage, water and other important resources is a very critical part of the whole process. Five years is just a warming period to re-do Indian cities. We surely need much more time. Also, for a better implementation, there should be a CEO appointed for a minimum of ten years for each smart city," he added.

"We need smart cities as there is a lot of urban pressure and a lot of wastage of resources. The inspirational part is already under way as the small townships that are growing at present are trying to fit into the smart city frame. We need a bag of economically viable projects," said Mr. Pratap Padode, Founder & Director, Smart Cities Council India.

"One cannot have all decisions taken at the municipality level. Some decisions have to be taken by the citizens as well. We have to have the vision as to how our cities are going to become in the next five years and later. Smart spaces have to be focused on. We have to define future-ready cities," said Mr. Indraneel Ghosh, Assistant Vice President, Brillio India.