Lutyens' zone, already the source of nation's envy for the benefits it enjoys, has made it to the list of 20 cities which are to be turned into Smart Cities as part of the Modi government's ambitious urban modernization programme. From Gujarat, Ahmedabad and Surat have found a place on the list, while Gandhinagar and Vadodara missed out.Ahmedabad municipal commisioner D Thara said, “ As part of the pan-city plan, we had submitted two proposals. One was the integrated transit plan for the city wherein citizens can access all available options for transport right from autorickshaws, BRT, city buses or metro rail through a mobile application. The second was a centralized command and control room for entire civic services. This will be realized when AMC lays its own optic fibre network. In terms of area-based plan, we had submitted the Vadaj area redevelopment and transit-oriented zone plan.“Surat municipal commissioner told TOI, “It is time to get to work and implement the projects now. We would be working in two phases now. First, we will take up pan-city programme on mass transport and connectivity issues with IT-based solutions to increase the mobility and connectivity . In the second, area-based development would be taken up in textile market area to boost the city's economy .“ For the national capital, initially, the scheme will be focused on “retrofitting“ 550 acres in and around Connaught Place in what will mark a big push to the historical shopping district which has just overcome decades of decay to re-emerge as a hot spot.The list released on Thursday saw Bhubaneswar top the list with a Rs 4,500 crore plan to retrofit and redevelop 985 acres around the railway station with modern amenities. The race for inclusion in the Smart City league -a concept centered on provision of basic amenities such as 24X7 power and drinking water supply as well as contemporary attributes like e-governance and IT infrastructure -saw Madhya Pradesh bagging the maximum three spots, while populous states such as UP , Bengal and Bihar failed to make it in the first round. Varanasi, PM's own Lok Sabha constituency , failed to make the grade, finishing with the second most disappointing score among 97 contenders.All the 3 entries from Mumbai Greater Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Kalayan-Dombivali could not make the cut either. New Kolkata also missed out.In all, 23 states failed to find a place, something which does not address the concern about urbanization deficit and led urban development minister M Venkaiah Naidu to give them a second shot by April.Each state will submit the improved proposal of their highest ranking cities for this round of selection. By 2017, the Centre intends to identify 100 cities to be taken up for the programme.The 20 cities which feature in the first list are expected to spend almost Rs 51,000 crore to upgrade the quality of life --a generous step-up of allocation of funds for upgradation of a significant urban swathe even if some of the projects would have possibly been taken up in normal course.The concept of Smart City marks a big departure from the traditional municipal body-led model of urban development to one marked by corporate features such as a CEO who can even be drafted from the private sector and will have job security , Special Purpose Vehicle route for raising funds and execution of the development plan.Unlike in the past, when the burden of development was on the states and the Centre, this time over 60% of the resources are proposed to be generated by the cities concerned.The selection of cities has been influenced by their capacity to deliver as determined on the basis of their past performance and financial strength.Importantly , only one of the 20, Kochi, will focus on taking up a green project. This might mean the revival of the localities which are groaning under burgeoning population and are hamstrung by woefully inadequate infrastructure for current and future requirements.