The Chosen Cities

Criteria for selection of towns/city under the programme:

The towns/cities to be covered under the Ecocity Project are selected based on:

• Size of the town/city (less than 5 lakhs population);
• Cultural/historical/heritage/tourism importance;
• Environmental Improvement Needs;
• Scope for public-private partnerships and private investment;
• Generators of economic momentum/urbanization;
• Public participation in decision-making process; and
• Regional distribution of towns

1. Kottayam, Kerala is a tourist centre, drawing large crowds due to its famed backwaters and its proximity to the famous religious place of Sabarimalai.
2. Puri, Orissa, is a town of cultural importance and has a population of over 1.5 lakhs, which swells considerably with the influx of tourists and pilgrims during the season.
3. Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, with a population of more than 2 lakh people is a well known pilgrimage and tourist town.
4. Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, has a population of over 2 lakh people and is a heritage and pilgrimage city of national importance.
5. Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, with a population of nearly 4.5 lakh people, is the largest of the proposed EcoCities. In addition to being a heritage and tourist city, it has been declared a Generator of Economic Momentum by the NCU.
6. Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh, has a population of less than 1 lakh people and is also an important heritage and tourist city.
7. Baidyanath Dham, Jharkhand is an important tourist and religious place.
8. Bharatpur, Rajasthan has a population of over 2 lakh people. It is well known for the bird sanctuary and is also considered a Generator of Economic Momentum.
9. Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, has a population of close to 3 lakh people and is an important religious centre. It is designated a heritage city by INTACH.
10. Rishikesh, Uttaranchal, is the smallest of the chosen towns with a population of approximately 60,000 people. It is also considered a Generator of Economic Momentum.
11. Shillong, Meghalaya, has a population of over 1 lakh people and is one of the tourist spots in the north-eastern region.
12. Vapi, Gujarat, is an industrial town having population under one lakh. It had critical pollution levels and hence has been chosen for rehabilitating its environment.

The first phase of the project has focus on Vrindavan, Ujjain, Puri, Kottayam, Tirupati and Thanjavur.

Kottayam	Puri	Tirupati
Thanjavur	Ujjain	Vrindavan