On August 21, an economic investment briefing for Korean companies in India was held at Punjab Government office in Chandigarh. Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal (second from the left), Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal (third), Parminder Singh Dhindsa (fourth), and other high-level officials explain about Punjab's economy and investment environment./ Photographed by Ha Man-joo

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By Ha Man-joo, India correspondent, AsiaToday - Korea Telecom (KT) will participate in building a smart city in India at New Chandigarh, reported leading Indian newspaper Hindustan Times (HT) on Tuesday.

"KT met a high-level Punjab delegation led by deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal and expressed its willingness to provide technology as well as finances to build the first-of-its-kind smart city in India at New Chandigarh," said the newspaper.
 
According to the report, Badal visited the Incheon Free Economic Zone (IFEZ) operational centre during his five-day visit to Korea that began on August 29, and asked Korea Telecom officials to submit a proposal for developing New Chandigarh as a smart city. He said that KT's offer could be an ideal showcase for a smart city model in India as all necessary smart city solutions could be installed in New Chandigarh which started from the zero-base.

KT also reportedly expressed its willingness to participate in 'Safe City' project for Ludhiana and Amritsar. The deputy CM made the suggestion of the project when KT said it would run its proposed LED lights through network which would allow installation of safety city features like CCTV cameras and license plate recognition systems on the same poles.

Park Il-hwan, general manager at KT, said that the company already had a business model in place under which loan could be given to investors from the Export-Import Bank of Korea (KEXIM). He said the company was willing to review other business models, including consultancy as well as installing and running of smart cities, LED, and safe city projects.

KT officials said that 317 CCTVs are installed in Songdo smart city that provide real-time information on air and water levels as well as transport to residents, and that all information about incoming vehicles are controlled to know if any vehicle had been involved in a crime.

The deputy CM also visited Maeil Dairies to seek ways to modernize milk production facilities in Punjab. The delegation was shown how the plant manufactures bottle and package milk as well as other products like café latte and yoghurt.

Previously in an interview with AsiaToday on August 21, Badal said, "We can set up an industrial complex for Korean companies at the most business-friendly region in Punjab."

Sukhbir Singh Badal is the son and the political heir of Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. He is also the president of Punjab's ruling party - Shiromani Akali Dal (SDA). His wife Harsimrat Kaur Badal is the Union Cabinet Minister of Food Processing in the Modi government.