PUNE Municipal Corporation (PMC) has decided to send three of its projects for an award in the civic body category promoted by London-based World Leadership Forum which will be announced in December.
World Leadership Forum is a non-profit NGO which promotes leadership by highlighting the work of exceptional leaders and achievers in a host of disciplines, and stimulating debate on leadership issues. The awards celebrate the best in modern city leadership.
“The civic body has been invited by World Leadership Forum to submit its proposal for the annual award. We are eager to project our development at the international level which will give PMC world-wide recognition,” said mayor Rajlaxmi Bhosale.
PMC will pitch for its innovative practices that provide public service and improve the quality of citizens’ life. “The best practices in public service by the PMC have won acclaim at national level. These will be projected at World Leadership Forum,” Bhosale added.
Among the efforts that will be packaged are Unwire Pune — Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) to provide wireless internet connectivity, she said. Deputy municipal commissioner Kishore More in-charge of the civic body’s nominations said Unwire Pune had caught the eye of the World Leadership Forum which invited PMC to participate in the award.
“The mayor has taken a keen interest in applying for the award and it was decided to project two other initiatives too,” he added. While Unwire Pune will vie for honours in the science and technology category, Auto DCR- an automatic solution for approval of building plan proposal will be listed in the architect and civil engineering category, and self-help groups programme will look to gain visibility in the employment category.
“The forum’s response to the three entries will be conveyed to us soon and if short-listed from the entries of 400 municipal corporations, a PMC team will make a presentation before the panel of judges in London,” said More.
Other achievements like Pune’s green space, educational facilities, IT hub and the automobile sector are part of the highlights in the application. “The pensioners’ paradise and rating as the happiest city for Indians in a survey by London-based market research organisation GfK-NOP have also been showcased,” said More.
THE USP
* UNWIRE PROJECT: Chief Accounts Officer Ambrish Galinde said the pilot project at Shivajinagar and J M Road was a success and the first phase would be completed next month.
* AUTO DCR: It is an innovative way of automatic scrutiny of building proposals by reading CAD drawings said city engineer Prashant Waghmare. Electronic versions of documents has enabled the civic body to handle as many as 5,000 building permissions a month, Waghmare added.
* SMART: The self-help groups initiative (SMART) has helped many women and youth in the city which is an example, said head of urban community development department Ashok Kalamkar.