Post News Network
Bhubaneswar: Citizens glued to social media are not leaving any stone unturned in making sure that the temple city makes it to the list of the top 20 smart cities to be funded by the Central government during the maiden phase.
Almost all the smart city pages on social media are actively run by enthusiasts with the support of municipalities and experts and the smart city page of Bhubaneswar is now leading the race having registered a staggering 1.5 crore visits this month.
According to data available with Facebook an amazing 5,27,000 page likes and 1,13,000 engagements this week itself has resulted in the fact that Bhubaneswar has outperformed others in the race this – Indore follows close behind with 5,13,000 page likes and 23,000 engagements. The state capital surely leads in social media campaigning for the smart city tag in the entire country.
Given the overwhelming participation of netizens, BMC’s advocacy for getting the tag during the maiden phase has certainly received a boost. “People are sharing their dreams and Bhubaneswar shall be remodelled as per those dreams. I encourage everyone to come up with innovative ideas to make Bhubaneswar a smart city,” said Mayor Ananta Narayan Jena.
However, the municipal body does not want to remain limited with online advocacy. “Apart from the social media forum, a ground level press forum has been planned where opinions will be taken from the fourth estate and ideas will be discussed,” said BMC Commissioner Krishan Kumar.
The municipal body has played smart by creating the official Bhubaneswar smart city page on Facebook. “Only 20 cities will be shortlisted for the smart city project this year and they will be selected on the votes given by the residents of those cities. Citizens are bombarding their suggestions on how to make their city smart and we are actively posting it online for others to share and vote,” said Pratik Mohapatra who heads Prelude Digital, an extension of the city-based media company Prelude that drives Bhubaneswar’s official social media campaign.
With contests like Capture Bhubaneswar and Cover Photo Campaign, the organisers of the online campaign are seeking to engage more and more citizens and voters.