Private citizens drive Khon Kaen's "smart city" programme

A "smart city" think tank formed by local entrepreneurs to drive plans for a light-rail system, aims to double per capita income in the province within 12 years.

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Citizens taking initiative in Khon Kaen

CHATRUDEE THEPARAT

Of the key provinces that are part of the government's ambitious smart city plans, Khon Kaen appears to have made the greatest progress.

The development has been propelled by Khon Kaen's strong private sector, notably led by third-generation Chinese entrepreneurs aged 40-50, who have been friends since childhood.

These high-profile entrepreneurs from 20 Khon Kaen-based companies and leading organisations include the owners of property development projects, car dealerships and hotels, university lecturers, former local politicians and processed food manufacturers.

They jointly established the Khon Kaen Think Tank (KKTT) Group on January 9, 2015, with the ultimate goal of finding the most appropriate city development plans to cover transport infrastructure for the province.

The involved parties agreed in March to team up with five municipalities in Khon Kaen to set up Khon Kaen Transit System Co (KKTS) with an initial registered capital of five  million baht.

Khon Kaen smart city development and light rail transit project / Khon Kaen City Development (KKTT) Co., LTD

Approved by the Interior Ministry on February 20 this year, KKTS will function as a central unit for driving the development, management and income collection of the light rail transit line development project,

Suradech Taweesangsakulthai, an associate dean for the College of Local Administration at Khon Kaen University, said many companies and individuals in Khon Kaen are interested in investing in the new light rail development project, including one foreign bank.

KKTT members have taken training courses for three days on town management at Portland State University in the US after we've seen the possibility of development." He expects the development of light rail in Khon Kaen will be a role model for the infrastructure development in other cities.

"We [KKTS] have no involvement in politics, nor do we get financial support from politicians," he insists.

The Khon Kaen development plan is aimed to double its per capita income to US$12,000-$15,000 (398,000-498,000 baht) per head per year over the next 12 years up from $6,000 per head per year in 2016. Khon Kaen has a population of 1.8 million.

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