Ever since Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced in May 2014 about raising 100 Smart Cities in India with an investment fund of Rs 7,060 crore, most of the Indian cities and urban conglomerates are undergoing a frenzy, to be in the list of such cities.
A stiff competition has been unleashed among such aspiring cities, each one trying to outsmart the other. Since the concept itself is new to the soil everybody has his own interpretations. For many it is a wish list of infrastructure and services one can fancy in his wildest of dreams. But apart from varieties of opinions from different schools of thought everybody is unanimous that it will ensure decent quality of life to all its citizens. When it is considered from the perspective of “all its citizens” naturally the focus will have to be on sustainable and inclusive development goals.
In the meanwhile, the Ministry of Urban Development has engaged itself in defining benchmarks for various services. UlBs and Development Authorities are busy achieving these benchmarks layer by layer. Even when entire India is busy dreaming of these “Good days to come” the ground realities point to some Achilles heels—some grey areas where more concentration is required to make the dreams of inclusiveness, sustainability and resilience come true.
Smart cities no doubt will concentrate on developing the governance, infrastructure, technology, mobility, transportation, healthcare, education, electricity, water supply, solid waste management, housing, sanitation, so on and so forth. But the fact still remains true that stone walls do not always make a prison. Nor can just fulfillment of the above yardsticks make a city smart and liveable. History has seen upheaval and downfall of many cities in spite of lot of infrastructure standing in it. Some of them are now ghost cities. Unless and until the most downtrodden, and most vulnerable are uplifted, no development can be said to have been successful and meaningful. In Indian context, women, children, old people and poor people are always considered the most disadvantaged community who need special care and attention in any occasion, more so during times of transition, turbulence and upheaval.
Many people still believe that smart cities will bring in a speedy lifestyle. To adapt to the speed of city life and the intelligence of the technology, the citizens have to have smart ways of thinking and behaving. But the question is, are our people that prepared to adapt with new ways of thinking and actingIJ The greatest paradox modern day India faces is that while it has raised its front foot for modernism, its back foot is still in the thresholds of medievalism and conservatism. India is sometimes struggling with ‘Bharat’, each one trying to make out its point louder than its counterpart.
In such a time of transition, while India resolves to stride fast towards a better future, it has to carry all its constituents harmoniously and with dignity. Indian cannot look smart with its women, children and senior citizen populace still limping behind. Nor can future India look shining with half of its people living in slums and shanties, struggling for clean drinking water, electricity, education, healthcare and shelter. The proposed smart cities have therefore to be designed in a way to cater to the needs of women, children, senior citizens and slum dwellers meaningfully. The vehicle of development cannot be smooth unless all its wheels and arms are equitably aligned and balanced.
Traditionally in India, women are interwoven in many societal restrictions. Their safety and security is always a matter of concern. They themselves have also lot of inhibitions and self-restrictions. They are treated unequally. The family, society, administration or Government most often underestimate their needs and priorities. No city can be smart and sustainable if half of its population are not safe and comfortable, are living in fear of violence and insecurity.
They have to be given their rightful place and participation in the urban diaspora through adequate housing, good neighbourhood, safe public places, community policing, proper public transport, improved pedestrian ways, proper street lighting and proper ownership rights etc.
like women, children are a section of the society who are more or less vulnerable to such transitions. When city expands, life becomes faster, parks and play areas becomes far away and unreachable.
Schools and friends are not within vehicular trips. Children will need playgrounds, open spaces and public kiosks. To help them, ramps, traffic sign posts, zebra crossing, open cycle lanes and footpaths, underpasses, flyovers are required. Often land uses will require change to bring in child friendly elements there.
Other categories of people who need special attention are senior citizens and physically challenged people. Because of their physical and mental disabilities they need special situating where they can feel comfortable. With the advent of smart city concept, many senior citizens have a doubt in their mind whether they can synchronise with the speed and intricacies of future city life, whether they can struggle and compete with normal categories of people to get immediate healthcare, benefit of hassle-free travel, banking services and civic amenities. In old age normally people are subject to abandonment, abuse and loneliness. Many of them are drained out of wealth, energy and capacity. Future cities need to take care of all these problems, respect their independence, autonomy, experience, dignity and reduce their isolation by engaging them meaningfully.
Finally as India prepares itself to surge ahead, half of its citizen would continue to live in slums and shanties. Every year this population multiplies. People migrate in flocks from rural India to urban conglomerates in search of job, education, money, health care and good living. They encroach upon prime public properties and set the aesthetics of urban planning in naught. These slums are very often breeding grounds of land grab, crime syndicates, chaos, lawlessness and insanitation. But still they proliferate because of political patronages due to vote bank politics. The Government and administration very often try to drive them out but only to see that they are settled somewhere else the next day. In spite of all its negativities, still these slum-dwellers are the labour forces for household chores, service sectors and constructions works, etc. The dream of a smart city would remain halted halfway as long as these slum-dwellers are not taken care of properly. Policy interventions have to be made to take stock of their conditions, survey them, provide them with basic minimum services, redevelop and relocate the slums, provide affordable housing and rental houses for them on easy terms and put them into mainstream through proper social mobilisation.
In conclusion, it can be safely agreed that a city can be happy when the weakest, the poorest, the lowliest and most deprived people are in a State of happiness within their reach, and have easier solutions for problem which they hitherto considered as insurmountable. Without this strategic vision about urban demographics smart cities would remain only as dreams or mere vision document.
(The writer is Secretary of Bhubaneswar Development Authority and can be mailed atranjank.das@rediffmail.com)