Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, August 27: The state capital Bhubaneswar and Rourkela now find places in the list of smart cities to be created by the Centre.
Though other Orissa cities like Cuttack, Berhampur and Sambalpur were in the competition, only 2 cities from the state could make it. The Center will provide Rs 100 Crore per year for the creation of core infrastructure needed for the smart cities.
Talking to Orissa POST, a cross section of people living in the state capital expressed their opinions on selection of the two cities in the list of smart cities.
Lecturer at Utkal University, Santosh Tripathy was not quite happy for selecting Bhubaneswar as a smart city. “Capital is already well-developed. It would have been better if Cuttack had been included in this list. As we know, Cuttack was capital of the Orissa. Hence, it should be taken into consideration. Besides, infrastructure here is far good when compared to Cuttack”, said Tripathy.
Sushant Sahoo, an engineer student, said “We all want that our city to be neat and clean with basic facilities in the field of education. Though there is Sarva Sikhya Abiyan, the children are still far away from getting education. So, not only the infrastructure but the education department should also be paid equal importance”, he said.
In the opinion of Piyush Rout, an urban planner, smart city is just an opportunity to correct our city from the mistake that were committed in the past to shape our cities. If a true smart city really gets into the gene of Bhubaneswar & Rourkela, then probably I would like to see the visibility in our neighborhood, Rout said.
Ananata Prasad a communication professional, said: “For fast growing countries like India, the scenario of Town Planning is a myth. Sadly the town planners are yet to bring inclusive city planning. It has been a major issue in Indian cities. The urban town planners have continuously ignored slums”, Prasad added.
