Thiruvananthapuram: The state-level high-powered committee (SHPC) chaired by the chief secretary on Friday may announce the CEO as well as the board of directors of the city corporation’s smart city special purpose vehicle. It is the first major step forward as this is the company through which the smart city project will be implemented.
The CEO will be nominated by the state government and will be an IAS official. Mayor V.K. Prasanth said, “Implem-entation of the smart city project calls for coordination among various departments and an IAS official will fit the bill. He will be able to dedicate much time for the project,” he said. The SPV will have nominees of Central government, state government and urban local body on its board. After a CEO is appointed, the bylaws of the company will be fleshed out, and it will be registered. The CEO in consultation with the board and the company secretary would chart out the bylaws within one-and-a-half months, according to officials involved in the project.
In the case of Kochi, after the city got selected in January, the SPV was registered by mid-March. Later, the project hit a lull because of the elections announced, and the change of government at the state-level. The Central government has issued model guidelines regarding the bylaws of SPV in its Model Article of Association for SPV. However, it offers the state flexibility to modify bylaws as per the local requirement. It is likely that Thiruvananthapuram will fall back on the same bylaws and structure as Kochi SPV.
