Aadishesh Info Communications: January 2016

A big round of applause for all the hard working men and women of Jabalpur! Certainly, it calls for celebrations as Jabalpur gets 7^th position to become a Smart City! Let’s get down to basics and start from the beginning about which towns are chosen as smart cities and what goes into making one.

The Asseveration by Venkiah Naidu

India’s Union Minister, Venkiah Naidu, announced the list of the first twenty smart cities on Thursday January 28, 2016.

"Today marks a historic landmark in annals of urban development as we get to know the first batch of 'Smart Cities," Naidu said.

Various parameters on which the decision was taken are smartness of proposals, citizen participation, result orientation, feasibility, etc. Let’s take a look at the cities:

1. Bhubaneshwar

2. Pune

3. Jaipur

4. Surat

5. Kochi

6. NDMC (New Delhi)

7. Ahmedabad

8. Jabalpur

9. Vizag

10. Solapur

11. Devangere

12. Indore

13. Coimbatore

14. Kakinada

15. Belgaum

16. Udaipur

17. Guwahati

18. Chennai

19. Ludhiana

20. Bhopal

The 20 smart cities stated above will receive funds primarily to initiate the development procedure. A total of 100 crores are to be allotted to each city over a period of five years for expansion. The mission period also includes another Rs 50,000 crore from central assistance.

What are the Areas for Development?

The cities will include development of basic infrastructure such as ascertained power and water supply, solid waste management and sanitation, effective public transport and mobility, e-governance, IT connectivity and citizen involvement. An overall number of 100 smart cities are distributed among the states and union territories.

What does the Official Handbook say?

The government website states several features for smart cities which are given below:

Promotion of Mixed Land Usage in Area-Based Improvement – This includes setting up of unplanned areas which contain compatible activities and land usage knitted with each other for better usage of land. By-laws of the states will facilitate a decent amount of flexibility in usage of land.

Appropriate housing facilities and inclusiveness – This feature incorporates proper housing facilities for the citizens.

Reduction of Overall Congestion – Creation of walk-able neighborhoods, smoother flow of traffic, reduction of depletion of resources, ensuring security, boosting local economy lowing air pollutions and several more factors are included. Improvement of road networks (pedestrian, cyclists, private & public transport) with essential administrative services is on the cards within cycling or walking distance.

Development & Preservation of Open Spaces –Recreational areas, parks and playgrounds will be developed upon to boost the life-quality of citizens, promotion of ecological balance and reduction of heat effects in areas is in the pipeline.

Development of Transportation – The Smart City initiative promotes an assortment of transportation modes such as TOD (Transit Oriented Development), last mile par transport and public transportation.

Overall pursuit of citizen-friendly governance and introduction of cost-effective online services – This will further give rise to transparency and accountability, lessen cost of services, increase of mobile usage, and reduce visits to municipal offices. E-groups will be formed for the benefit of people and will obtain feedback by constant monitoring of activities and programs.

City Identity – Based on economic activity, the smart city project will give a special identity to the region with context to local cuisine, dairy, textile, hosiery, furniture, sporting goods, arts & craft, health, education and more.

Betterment of Services & Infrastructure – Smart solutions will be applied to strategic areas for making them better if not at par with fully developed regions. Making regions less susceptible to natural disasters, supplying more affordable services and using fewer resources are some of the major attractions of this venture.