India is on its way to surpass
China to becoming the most crowded city in the world. Prime Minister Narendra
Modi has been far sighted in his vision when he announced allocation of 7000 Cr
in FY 15 towards creation of 100 new smart cities.
What exactly is meant
by a smart city has not been clarified. At this stage we can only assume that a
smart city would comprise of a sound urban planning (probably not to repeat “the
Gurgaon disaster”), better drainage and sewerage system with application of sensors
and other technologies to detect real time damage as well as a better public
transport system catering to less pollution. A city where commuters would love
to use a public transport instead of their cars, a place where traffic rules
would be followed not out of fear but out of self-concerns, a city where number
of cyclists on the road would surpass the number of cars. And all this is
possible with application of advanced technologies.
When we look at the 7600 Cr
figure, we know it won’t be sufficient even for 1 city. But I guess the idea
right now is to kick-start the idea. Rome was not built in a day. Smart city
projects will require not only contribution from Central and State Governments,
but also through private investments. Ministry of Urban Development has plans
to develop 2 smart cities in each of India’s 29 States.
There definitely exists couple of
serious challenges which might come in way of achieving this dream.
- Investment and
- Land acquisition
PPP projects will bring in
collaboration between Government and private companies. It will also bring in
the much needed investment. It might be difficult to develop a greenfield
city. Existing metros themselves sets a very poor example when it comes to
their own infrastructure. It seems that people of India are doomed to stay in a
mediocre environment. With ever increasing population and migration to cities having
reached an alarming rate, currently it makes more logical sense to develop new
areas to accommodate them. Indians will still have to do with low standard of
living!
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