Research proposal submitted for KURAT Interview

EVALUATION OF SMART CITY CONCEPT UNDER INDIAN PERSPECTIVE

Ajoy sekhar Datta

M.Sc. in Geography, University of Calcutta

INTRODUCTION:

The term ‘Smart City’ may be defined as “a developed urban area that creates sustainable
economic development and high quality of life by excelling in multiple key areas; economy,
mobility, environment, people, living and government. Excelling in these key areas can be done
so through strong human capital, social capital and/or Information & Communication
Technology infrastructure”.

CHARACTERISTICS OF A SMART CITY:

A Smart City is a city well performing in a forward-looking way in these six characteristics, built
on the ‘smart’ combination of endowments and activities of self-decisive, independent and aware
citizens. Furthermore it should be emphasized that we are currently only able to draw a picture of
the present state of a city. Still, the path of development is decisive for a smart city and should be
considered in further research that builds on time-series data.

 SMART ECONOMY (innovative spirit, entrepreneurship, productivity, trade facilitation

centres etc.)
 SMART PEOPLE (level of qualification, creativity, social participation)
 SMART GOVERNANCE (transparent governance, public and social services, decision
making)
 SMART MOBILITY (local, national and international accessibility, integrated multi-modal
public transport, sustainable transport system)
 SMART ENVIRONMENT (adequate water supply, assured electricity supply, sanitation
including solid waste management, sustainable resource management, robust IT connectivity
and digitization etc.)
 SMART LIVING (affordable housing, provision for academic institution and health care
centres, safety and security of women, children and the elderly etc.)
 Promoting mixed land use in area-based developments—planning for ‘unplanned areas’
containing a range of compatible activities and land uses close to one another in order to
make land use effective.
 Preserving and developing open spaces—parks, playgrounds and recreational spaces in order
to enhance the quality of life of citizens, reduce the urban heat effects in areas and generally
promote eco-balance.
IMPORTANCE OF ‘SMART CITY’ CONCEPT:

India struggles with a number of significant barriers that continue to hamper the development of
urban infrastructure: complex leadership structures, land valuation challenges, capability gaps
and funding shortfalls are all part of the urban challenge that is effectively holding India back
from a new round of dramatic economic growth. India also needs to address the current problems
of developing good infrastructure, solid waste disposal, flood management, storm water and
sewerage system etc. resulting in urban decay, traffic gridlock and thereby a deteriorating quality
of life for many of its citizens. Therefore, India requires a far more efficient and sustainable
solution for servicing urban areas and can reap the benefits by using technology to learn from
practices from other parts of the world.

SMART CITY CRITERIA TO BE SATISFIED BY PRESENT/UPCOMING SMART

CITY PROJECTS IN INDIA:

In order to accommodate the growing population the government of India came up with the idea
of establishing 100 smart cities and modern towns around the existing cities under the smart
cities project. Given India’s financial crunch rather than grandiose plans smart cities should
focus on three things: transportation, e-governance and easy land tilting.

DELHI-MUMBAI INTEGRATED CORRIDOR

The Union Industry Ministry has sought Rs.185 billion to develop seven cities around the Delhi-
Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) that will criss-cross six states. The $90-billion DMIC
project comprising Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya
Pradesh is being developed in collaboration with Japan as a manufacturing and trading hub. The
eco-friendly cities would provide world-class facilities with 24-hour power supply and drinking
water, mass rapid urban transportation with bicycle and walking tracks, complete waste and
water recycling systems for smart grids- digitally managed systems to control energy
consumption- and smart metering.

i. Financing of Buses for Urban Transport under JNNURM:

Under the second stimulus package announced by the Government on 2 nd January, 2009 the
states as a onetime measure have been provided financial assistance for purchase of buses for
their urban transport system under the scheme for providing central financial assistance in the
form of grant for procurement of buses for urban transport under JNNURM. The financing is
meant exclusively for City Bus Service and Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) for all 65 mission
cities. Ministry of Urban Development have sanctioned 15260 buses under the scheme with a
total cost of Rs. 4723.94 crore.

ii. Metro Rail Projects:

Metro rail service has been introduced in phases in Delhi-NCR.

 Phase Estimated cost(Rs. in crore) Distance covered(Km.)
I 4859.74 -
II 8676 IIT to Qutab Minar(54.675)
III 35242 Four different
corridors(103.05)
IV - Outer Delhi to the heart of the
city(more 115)

iii. Manohar Lal Khattar, Chief Minister of Haryana, to mark the completion of 100 days of his
government launched e-registration of properties in all the 130 tehsil and sub-tehsils of the state
on 3rd February,2015. Under this system, documents for land registration have to be submitted at
e-Disha centres. A helpdesk will provide information regarding stamp duty and collector rates
available there. For registration of sale deeds the help desk will fix the appointment date of
applicants with tehsildars.

iv. Maharashtra government signed a Memorandum of Understandings (MoU) with Larsen &
Toubro (L&T) for setting up CCTV based surveillance in the city of Mumbai. 6000 CCTVs will
be installed across the metropolis and suburbs by September, 2016 as per the MoU signed.

v. Thane became the winner from India in the Global Earth Hour Capital Competition 2015. It
surpassed its contestants in terms of promoting renewable energy and preparing for climate
change. Pune received a special mention from the jury for its city mobility plan and its solar and
waste-to-energy initiatives.

vi. Brihan Mumbai Storm Water Drainage (BRIMSTOWAD) project at Mumbai:

The Government had accorded approval for the BRIMSTOWAD project at a cost of Rs. 1200.53
crore in July, 2007.

A total of 24 such new generation cities are being planned for phased development across the
above-mentioned six states. The first phase will see seven of them opening their doors by 2018-
19. The processes of acquiring land, getting government clearances and generating investment
have already started. Plans are also in place to integrate these cities through new airports, new
rail links and arteries of ten-lane highways.

CHENNAI-BANGALORE and CHENNAI-HYDERABAD INDUSTRIAL CORRIDORS

The focus of these corridors will be automobile and ancillaries in Chennai, aerospace in
Bangalore and pharmaceuticals in Hyderabad. Social infrastructure is also encouraged along this
corridor which is an integral part of any industrialization. Karnataka government wants to extend
this corridor to Belgaum and Mangalore with plans to integrate mining, food parks and cements
as part of the corridor industries.
Sea Water Reverse Osmosis De-salination Plant at Nemmeli, Chennai:

The Government of India has approved a project for setting up of 100 MLD Sea Water Reverse
Osmosis Desalination Plant at Nemmeli near Chennai at an estimated cost of Rs. 871.24 crore in
2008-09.

SMART CITY KOCHI

A joint venture between Smart City Dubai and the Kerala government, has approved the concept
master plan of the project. The first phase of the project is expected to be operational within 18
months which includes a building spread over 3.5 lakh sq.ft. The project will enjoy a single
Special Economic Zone (SEZ) status due to the revision of guidelines for SEZs being initiated by
the Union government.

The project, sprawling over 246 acres at Edachira, Kakkanad is expected to generate 90,000
direct jobs.

HALDIA PROJECT

According to Mr. Paul V. Jensen, Director, European Business and Technology Centre (EBTC),
the pilot project would focus on bringing down environment related hurdles that the industrial
units in Haldia face while expanding their operations. They are planning to implement a pilot
project to showcase smart city concepts in lowering carbon footprint.

It sounds quite dismal to mention that none of the four cities selected from West Bengal for
smart cities development has been empanelled within top 20 cities in India. Yet mayor of the
Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation is optimistic for its development, saying that some of the
foreign cities including Dubai, California, Yocohama etc. have expressed keen interest for its
infrastructural development. They have proposed for constructing underground cable services in
the concerned area.

CONCLUSION:

It can be concluded that the smart city projects promise a prosperous and bright future for urban
India and also India as a whole. But given India’s present condition the execution of smart city
projects need to be done in a very judicious manner. Understanding the concepts of retrofitting,
redevelopment and greenfield development by the policy makers, implementers and other
stakeholders at different levels will require capacity assistance. Major investments in time and
resources will have to be made during the planning phase prior to participation in the challenge.
States and Urban Local Bodies, with the help of their leadership and ability to act decisively will
be important factors determining the success of the Mission.