Dr S Saraswathi
The Government’s plan to develop ‘smart cities’, is indeed, ambitious. For urban residents living with innumerable urban-based life problems with practically no workable solutions, this project raises curiosity mingled with pessimism. The prospects of developing these smart cities that will remain “smart” for a reasonable time are open to question in view of the degeneration of some of our planned and beautiful cities due to bad maintenance.
With “smart city” projects underway world-over, in about 125 places, Union Urban Minister Kamal Nath has recently confirmed the Centre’s plan to develop two “smart cities” in each of the 28 States in the country under phase II of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM). While the project have different components such as intelligent transport, e-services etc and accordingly has worked well in China, Brazil, Germany and other countries, India is studying what model will suit it.
For starters, the smart cities project is not meant for metropolitan cities. It is for smaller cities with half a million to one million population like Ujjain, and Jabalpur, as officially cited. Bigger cities are already covered under other schemes. According to 2011 census, about 32% of India’s population lives in urban areas. It is projected to grow and reach 40% in a decade and 50% in about 30 years.
Cities are very important contributors to the national economy, and have grown as centres of education, health care, entertainment, science and technology, and administration. They have to grow and change to fit their new roles and responsibilities. Where their growth in every sense lags behind the demands and expectations, lopsided development takes place, leading to sheer urban chaos. There are several such examples in India.
Our planners have come forward with a number of plans for urban development. Master plan policies and city development authorities have been formed. Slum clearance projects are undertaken. Employment plans, urban basic services for the poor, integrated urban poverty eradication programme, etc, have been formulated but urban problems have only multiplied.
The JNNURM was launched in 2005 by the Government of India to last for a period of seven years. Under it, city modernization projects have been taken up with the aim of creating economically productive, efficient, equitable, and responsive cities. Upgrading social and economic infrastructure in cities, provision of basic services to urban poor, and introducing reforms to strengthen municipal governance are the principal strategies adopted in this mission.
The aim of the Mission is to encourage reforms and fast-track planned development of identified cities. The focus is on efficiency of urban infrastructure and service delivery mechanisms, and community participation.
The Mission focuses on inclusive growth of cities with safe drinking water, improved public transport, sustainable environment, and standardized service level. Community participation in urban local bodies is also part of the mission.
Eligible cities include 7 mega cities, 28 cities/urban territories with 4 million plus population, and an equal number of cities/urban territories with 1 million plus population. In many of these cities, substantial improvements are made by various infrastructure development schemes. They have facilitated more activities in urban areas and have enhanced civic amenities in suburban areas particularly around metropolitan cities.
However, urban problems have not come to an end. Even a beginning to end the problems is coming only slowly with intense awareness propaganda. New projects introduce new problems; old problems addressed through specific programmes do not vanish, but take new forms.
Thus, rapid transport systems create massive problem of relocation and rehabilitation of the project i.e. the displaced people. In the process, cities have to face emergence of squatter settlements and conversion of any vacant area as residences of the poor and workshops of small scale mechanics who cannot afford to change their home or place of work.
Growth of unplanned cities because of unplanned growth of population, migration from rural to urban areas in response to new economic activities at the cost of agricultural and allied activities take place all over the world. In each case, the chief cause may be different, but the effect is similar. In developing nations, all the three are present and have created a huge urban mess, which is widespread in urban economy, urban society, urban culture, urban crime, urban traffic, urban poor, and indeed the urban mind.
The inseparable link between liberalization, urbanization, and economic development has been acknowledged by planners. In its reports, the UNFPA has pointed out that no country in the industrial age has ever achieved significant economic growth without urbanization. Since urbanization is an indispensable component of economic growth, India must pay attention to urban planning. For, cities that cannot cope with the pressure of increasing population and expanding activities will fail and end up as specimens of urban slums.
Modernisation of cities with buildings, roads and bridges, and rapid transport are necessary but not enough to make “smart cities”. Up-to-date and accessible knowledge, mechanism for exchange of information, and speedy mass communication are needed to face competition. Information is power in this knowledge society and instant information is indispensable to acquire that power.
Smart cities are going to focus on building the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) – a strategy that has succeeded in many places. Universal education and universal health care will be greatly facilitated by ICT everywhere. E-governance can lessen the load on transport and e-banking can connect remote areas in banking network.
However, smart cities will not remain “smart” just with abundance of electronic goods and mobile towers. The ground has to be prepared with other necessary changes which include change in people’s perceptions and habits.
First of all, smart cities to be functional require uninterrupted power supply. In some cities in Tamil Nadu, for instance, scheduled power cut is imposed for even eight to ten hours which makes computers and mobile phones mere showpieces.
Smart city concept is ideal provided it is preceded by proper urban planning to strengthen the infrastructure in the selected cities. It should include waste management, pollution control and other environmental safety measures.
The mega cities in India are fast growing as smart cities in the natural course of economic liberalism but are facing tremendous problem of utter urban chaos. Clearly, planned smart cities must avoid a similar fate. —INFA
(The author is former Director, ICSSR, New Delhi)
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