Coimbatore outscored Chennai in smart city competition

Coimbatore: Coimbatore could get the honour of a Smart City, based on the proposals submitted by the civic body and in the national-level competition, where even bigger cities vied for the coveted status, Coimbatore has scored more marks than Chennai, City Corporation Commissioner K Vijay Karthikeyan said Wednesday.

Thanks to the various positive indicators in terms of education, health care and industrial development, Coimbatore had been selected as one of the 20 Smart Cities across the country, he said.

As against the norms of having one primary school for a population of 5,000 people, Coimbatore has one primary school for every 3,000 population, and in terms of patient-doctor ratio too, Coimbatore is much better than other urban centres, he noted.

Addressing the 35th anniversary of KG Regional Blood Bank here, he said, "A blood bank is not only a life-saver but also a game changer for a critically ill or seriously injured patient."

The Corporation commissioner sought the participation and cooperation of people from all walks of life, in the journey towards making Coimbatore a Smart City, and called upon the people to use the social media platform to post their suggestions in the implementation of the proposals.

Speaking on the occasion, KG Hospital Chairman G Bakthavathsalam said the blood bank was equipped with hi-tech facilities such as Apheresis and blood centrifuge system.