Dr Sudershan Kumar
Ever since the present Government has taken over the reigns of our country, whole impetus has been on making India a world superpower. One among these was the mission of turning 100 cities into smart cities.The very purpose of this mission was to boost economic growth thereby augmenting quality of life facilitated by local area development and harnessing of the technology that leads to smart outcome. Moreover, the Prime Minister’s earlier initiatives of e-governance, digital India and Make in India have certainly brought impetus to Indian industry and economic growth. Since time immemorial, India is witnessing a massive shift towards urbanization. The present ratio of 40 to 60 percent in favour of rural areas is constantly changing due to unhindered influx into cities.This current scenario beholds a grim future. The ever increasing urban migration will certainly have huge implications like severe shortage of houses, crumbling of the existing infrastructure.The present government anticipating the above circumstances thus swung into action. To over come this irreparable exhaustion of the natural resources and long term danger of unplanned expansion, Prime Minister had laid the vision of smart cities and sustainable development across the country. Therefore it is of utmost significance to understand the concept of smart city and also evolve a road map for development through Public(P), private(P), Partnership(P) and infusing Technology(T) in it.Hence the workable model would be (PxPxP)xT.Therefore for sustainable development and for improving the living conditions of people, it is essential to infuse technology in their routine life.Hence Smart city is one that utilizes Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in a best possible way to meet the demands of Citizens.Therefore in a smart city community involvement is absolutely imperative. A Smart city would thus be a city that not only possesses ICT in particular areas but also implements the technology in a manner that positively impacts the local community.This involves a strong integration of all dimensions of human intelligence,collective intelligence and also artificial intelligence within the city organs.Therefore evolving a road map for development of smart city or converting city in to smart city is an inescapable necessity.This road map of smart city in general is dependent on three or four major components.First,is to define and study the community before deciding to build a smart city or conversion of a city into a smart city.
Second,formulate a smart city policy, where roles, responsibilities and objectives are properly and precisely defined.Create a plan and evolve its implementation strategy to achieve goals in a reasonable time frame without over running time and cost.Fourth and the most important is engaging of citizens for implementation of plan through use of e-governance and open data spat events etc.Therefore each city needs to have its unique needs and road map depending upon topography,terrain climatic conditions,local aspirations and environment. Therefore for smart city (PxPxP)xT model is applicable with innovations for creation /upgradation of core infrastructure in multiple areas for sustainable development and improvement in living standards of the people. Based on ( PxPxP)xT model nearly 50 smart cities have been developed across the globe. Out of that seven are unique top most cities namely New York, Singapore, London, Barcelona, Oslo, Toronto and Tokyo. Each of them have unique features. In India,the central government had identified nearly 100 cities.Jammu& Srinager cities of new union territory of Jammu and Kashmir have also been included in the category of smart cities. Before going further one must access the the city in detail. Jammu city lies at the base of uneven ridges of low heights at the Shivalik hills. It is surrounded by the Shivaklik range to the north,east,and southeast while the Trikuta range surrounds it in the northwest and lying on the banks of river Tawi.City has an area of around 240 sqkm (93sq miles).The city is divided into 75 wards and its population by 2021 as per available data is around 708612 with floating population in a substantial number. Moreover we see a vast contrast in housing patterns between old walled city and developed colonies.Hence area wise(ward wise) development of Jammu city is the need of the hour. Therefore,before viewing Jammu as a smart city, one will have to comprehend, get acquainted and analyse these parameters viz:location,terrain, topography environment,the mindset of people and community expectations.The aspirations of younger generation between the age group of 20 to 30 years along with other age groups have also to be addressed.
The core issues which need attention for sustainable development, improvement in the living standard of the public are:means for generation of employment,establishment of research parks for startups,cleanliness of city, smart ways of waste disposal,24/7/365 uninterrupted power supply, adequate water supply, smart and intelligent traffic management systems,beautification of city, revamping of Dogra heritage especially Mubarak Mandi Palace(Symbolic of Dogra reign), tapping of tourism potential in and around Jammu city through better connectivity with surrounding areas and safety and security of women and children. In addition extensive use of technology to increase the contact between people and government through the use of various technologically sound mechanisms like Li-Fi, e-governance,digitization of the office records,creation of citizen friendly Apps for on line interaction with government departments,implementation of Citizen charter for timely disposal of online cases and automatic file tracking system. In case of Jammu city, when one examines the web portal of Jammu as a smart city, we do come across that authorities have prepared a very comprehensive proposal. They have initiated a number of projects. Of course they have been reviewed at various levels.Lot of work has been done.This includes, renovation of bus stand,construction of multilevel parking, erection of Smart signboards, rope way from Peer Kho to Mahamaya temple, Bahu fort to Mahamaya temple, paintings across walls etc and many more may be in the pipe line. Besides certain departments have also started on line interaction with people and are also issuing certificates through on line modes. But the core issues which need attention of all the stake holders namely authorities at the helm of affairs, elected representatives and the public are the following:First is the cleanliness of city. Proper disposal of garbage comes at the forefront of any area but ironically, the dustbins placed at various locations around the city are overflowing creating menace.
This is further compounded by the indifferent behavior of the public who insensitively throw garbage anywhere. So there is an urgent need to create awareness among masses. Parallelly authorities should look into the innovative ways of recycling of waste disposal and installation of smart dustbins. Secondly,the issue of un interrupted power supply during peak summer and peak winter seems a distant dream even in 2021. The concerned department should leave no stone unturned as 24×7 power supply forms the basis of any smart city. Third,it is of utmost importance to deploy sensor based technology oriented smart intelligent traffic management system at crowded places to over come the menace of unscrupulous parking and irrational and ruthless driving. To discourage the entry of private transport into the heart of city one must look in to the prospect of providing battery operated cars to commuters at certain exit points of walled city. Fourth,for e-governance aim should be to digitalize all official records, use ICT, Li-Fi generate citizen friendly department specific Apps for online interaction and issuing of certificates. Also adopt citizen charter for all departments and provision of automatic file tracking system. This not only will instill the confidence in public but also will further facilitate the smooth functioning of the departments. Fifth, focusing on the pride of Jammu city -Mubarak Mundi Palace, a historical monument from where the Dogra kings ruled the state nearly 100years, needs to be done.
This Dogra heritage should be reinvigorated via museum development, depicting Dogra warriors’ history and culture in line with George Washington’s palace located in Washington DC.Besides to promote tourism, the tourist spots in and around Jammu city need to be augmented.The basic infrastructure in terms of connectivity (four lane roads), restaurants and huts need to be created for the attraction of tourists. Sixth aspect which needs to be escalated as part of smart city development is the providing of better medical care for which existing infrastructure needs upgradation. For online consultation and diagnostic, a database needs to be created and telecommunication be used for diagnosis and treatment. Similarly for providing quality education upgradation of teaching infrastructure, infusion of technology in teaching can be done. Lastly the recent incessant rains caused havoc in Jammu exposing the potholes in the drainage system which also needs renovation. This twenty first century is the century of technology. Therefore, those who harness the benefits of technology for betterment of society will rule the world.Science is the mother ofTechnology.Technology leads to Development. Development leads society. Hence,those who are handling smart city projects may take these aspects in to consideration.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
