manish kumar, post news network, Bhubaneswar, June 24: The much-talked about concept of smart cities is soon going to have clear, infrastructural parameters, with the Prime Minister all set to launch the flagship mission Thursday, which is going to talk about the 100 proposed smart cities across the country.
Orissa, which has advocated for six smart cities from the state, is waiting with baited breath for the ambiguities regarding the commencement of work for the proposed smart cities getting cleared. According to some media reports, the Union urban development ministry has decided to ask Orissa to nominate two cities for the smart city mission.
Experts from the field of the urban development say Bhubaneswar is potent enough to qualify for the smart city mission but the confusion and ambiguities regarding the mission need to be weeded out. Sikkim Lok Sabha MP Prem Das Rai was recently in the city to talk about smart cities in a seminar.
When asked by Orissa POST about his views on the potential of Bhubaneswar as a smart city, he said, “The city is rich in potential. It is rich in young, educated class, quality institutions, and renowned business houses. However, till now, the concept of smart cities has not been elaborated. If it means the development of the city as a whole, it must ensure all sections of the society develop as a whole.”
Urban planners, meanwhile, say that only those cities of the country, which have already worked its way through even a little bit of development and could be transformed into an efficient town with some helping hand from the Centre, stand to benefit from this central scheme.
“Till now, the concept of smart cities has been vague. The correct parameters are likely to be specified for these cities now. These parameters could be anything in terms of urban development such as, the quantity of water supply the city has, how efficient the garbage disposal system is etc.,” said Piyush Rout, an urban planner from the city.
“But I believe a smart city must have a very strong transport system. In many foreign countries, efficient transport system makes it possible for the citizens to reach their individual destination within a maximum time period of 20 minutes. This ought to be there in any smart city to make a sustainable growth,” he said.
Experts say, smart city mission aims at development of the entire urban eco-system of the cities covering their physical, social, economic and institutional infrastructure. The objective is to enable better living and driving the economic growth for the benefit of all sections of the society. Connectivity to the city, in this light, seems paramount to facilitate development.
Bhubaneswar is well connected through railways and airways; however, lack of international airports hampers the prospects of better international tourist inflow into the city.
Sharad Kumar, director of the Biju Patnaik International Airport said, “In our airport, on an average we see arrivals and departures of around 20 aircraft respectively. Although, till now, no international flights are directly connected through our airport, talks among concerned authorities are going on to find a solution.”
When it comes to quality of air, Bhubaneswar over performs some of the other prominent cities of the state. According to a study, undertaken by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), cities like Rourkela and Cuttack are more polluted in terms of air quality and the major source of air pollution in these cities is basically vehicular. The study meanwhile, has also appreciated the public transport system of the state capital.
As per the data collected during the 2011 Census of India, Bhubaneswar had a population of 8,37,737. In 2011, according to a study by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India, Bhubaneswar had the highest rate of employment growth among 17 Tier-II cities in India. The city has been listed among the top ten emerging cities in India by Cushman and Wakefield, taking into consideration factors like demographics, physical, social and real estate infrastructure, current level and scope of economic activities and government support.
In 2012, Bhubaneswar was ranked third among Indian cities, in terms of starting and operating a business by the World Bank, the numerous educational institutions and MNCs. Many have made Bhubaneswar their home; the city is now looking at a bright future and a stake in the list of the 100 smart cities in the country.
