New Delhi,  May 28, 2015:   Smart Cities India 2015  -- the 3-day expo and global platform which concluded  last week in India, has been reckoned a success for bringing together  all stake holders -- government, civil society and private enterprise.
Guest of Honor for the event  Harald Sandberg, Ambassador of Sweden said, “It is commendable that India is committed to develop in a smarter and a sustainable way. Public-private partnership is the way forward for this initiative. Sweden has gained relevant experience through over-coming water and pollution related challenges and thereby transforming Sweden to an eco-friendly country. The ambitious smart cities project in India demands small steps to be taken by every citizen to make it a sprawling success.” 
Minister of State for Urban Development and Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, Babul Supriyo  visited during the 2nd day   and interacted with exhibitors.|
Other ministers who graced the occasion included  Yashodhara Raje Scindia the current Minister of State for Commerce, and Chairman Industries and Employment, Madhya Pradesh;  Chandrakant Khaire, Member of Parliament, Aurangabad,   Udit Raj, Member of Parliament, North-west Delhi and Mr Amitabh Kant, Secretary Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, Government of India.
Lead speaker for the session on “Smart grids in India - stability, security and network reliability” Mr. Sujay K. Saha, The head of group -smart grid, Tata Power Delhi Distribution Co.  said: “The power requirement in India today stands at 2,60,000 megawatts and the demand is expected to double in the coming decade. To curb this energy crisis, Smart cities will have to adopt a smart distribution network to avoid power thefts and increase efficiency for the end consumer.”
Over 200 domestic and international participants showcased their products and services to buyers, industry representatives, center, state and local body officials with industry representatives, town and city planners, architects, realtors, academia, students and media. 
Exhibiting companies included Hewlett-Packard, Wipro, CISCO, Schneider Electric, Lavasa, Barco, Berger Paints India, Basildon Borough Council, L&T Construction, Zippr Pvt Ltd, Volvo, Skipper Ltd, Neo Zeo, Royal Appliances, Newgen Group etc.
Smart Cities India 2015 expo hosted country pavilions from Poland, Sweden and European Business &Technology Center (EBTC).
The European delegation shared candidly their ideas on how India needs to first identity what initiatives are feasible and commercially viable under Smart Cities project and then draw inferences from many European cities example. Public Private Partnerships (PPP) will form the basis of sharing knowledge, goods, machinery, etc. for building sustainable cities in India.
During a session on “International Case Presentation on Smart Cities”,  Olga Chepelianskaia, Senior Expert, ERG Terra/EBTC France said “Resilience infrastructure is indispensable to withstand any natural calamity. Currently; about 80% of houses in Delhi are not resilient to earthquakes. This is a matter of serious concern. Smart Cities should have houses that are not only resilient against disasters but also smart in efficiently using and saving energy.”
The last day of the exhibition witnessed sessions on smart cities focusing on urban planning; smart grids discussing stability, security and network reliability along with smart and green solutions from Poland.
Prem Behl, Chairman Exhibition India Group said “Smart Cities India 2015 expo is an attempt to provide a platform where business relationships can be fostered and knowledge transfer undertakes with a single vision of creating smart and better cities in India. I thank the ministries, delegates, speakers, exhibitors and visitors for making the very first expo a sprawling success.”