Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'Eager to see idea of Smart City becoming Reality' that was published in Newsband

Eager to see idea of Smart City becoming Reality

The Central government has come up with framework for 20 cities to become ‘smart’ over a five-year period. For a city to become smart what is needed are provision of basic services such as clean water, sewerage, pedestrian-friendly roads, public transport, uninterrupted power, street lighting, parks and recreational spaces. Also upgradation of physical infrastructure in select enclaves and incentivising the use of information and communication technologies are required. Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu rightly said that smart Indian city is one that “enables a decent life to the citizens, and green and sustainable environment, besides enabling adoption of smart solutions”,

The smart city programme which mean s urban development monetarily aided by the Centre but additional finances have to come from public-private partnerships and local revenue. State governments could unlock the potential of all cities with development policies that aim at structural change, improved public transport, provision of technologies like GPS, adopting universal design in public buildings and streets and catering to the housing, health, education and recreation – all these will have an immediate positive impact on the local economy.

Generally people need these basic amenities like clean water, electricity, hospital, community hospital, recreational spaces or park, space for pediatrician, safe public transport, and housing for poor and middle class. We can learn something in this regard from China where each small community is an example of peaceful sustainable living. Each community in China is equipped with everything mentioned above and also bank, post office, supermarket, community guest house where guests can be accommodated on subsidies rent. Nurse and doctors conduct monthly health check of each person living in the community. Community resident do morning exercises in the recreational community open gym and dance in community square, an activity only can be observed in China.

Ideas were never out of sight in India for development. It's lack of political will, sincerity, rampant corruption in all walks of life, lack of governance, lack of accountability – these are the factors which can kill or paralyse any good idea.

An outcome of a Smart city is supposed to be livability, sustainability and social equity. While there is no decrying the smart city plan which among other things includes sustainable environment, it has to be said that Swachh Bharat already launched with much fanfare has not made much headway as garbage especially banned plastic bags continue to be strewn all over and dumped in water bodies and storm water drains.

It is the joint responsibility of citizens and local authorities to ensure a clean environment. As citizens we lack civic consciousness which is aided and abetted by apathy of the local authorities who do not oversee the work done by the staff put on the job of garbage removal as ground reality reveals. Swachh Bharat is the gate way to smart city and it has to be strengthened to achieve its goal of cent percent cleanliness even by resort to punitive measures.

Anyway, we would certainly want to see that the idea of smart city of the government takes real shape.