Beyond the Horizon
By Pradeep Kumar
Pasighat Smart City’s special purpose vehicle (SPV) will receive first instalment of Rs 194 crore soon, Union Housing, Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Purii had told Lok Sabha in January 30 last.
Puri’s written response was in response to a question from state’s Congress LoK sabha (Arunachal East) member Ninong Ering regarding constitution of SPV and release of fund to Pasighat Smart City. When Puri, in his reply, also said that the GoAP needs to contribute its matching share to the project.
While thanking Puri for his efforts, Ering said that the next barrier to Pasighat Smart City is 50:50 fund sharing ratio between the GoI and the GoAP. However, Ering had said that he would demand the Ministry to change the ratio to 90:10 respectively for the project..
This reminds the contributions of few whose had made the differences in availing the ambitious Smart City Mission, under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) scheme in 2015, an initiative of PM Narendra Modi to take the pressure off Indian metros.
Then chief minister Nabam Tuki took keen interest while initiative of then chief secretary Ramesh Negi needs special mention. Pasighat became the only city in Arunachal Pradesh to fulfill conditions of its existing or proposed master plan one to qualify for the ambitious scheme among 100 cities across India to be developed in a phased manner in five years with financial share of the Centre and state Govt.
Taking part in first meeting of state level high power steering committee in Banquet Hall here on July 30, CE-cum-UD & housing director Taba Tadir had highlighted its selection criterion to specify that only one city could be selected, PHE&WS secretary advocated a town having scope for future growth while CS Negi while assessing the present scenario of garbage management, landfill site, composed plant, drainage system and crematorium of Capital Complex, had desired that top priority should be given to all these aspects.
He had urged the department concerned to prepare plan and proposal so that allocations could be made as and when untied funds from GoI as recommended by 14th Finance Commission is received. The committee after going through all reports of the ULBs, had recommend Pasighat for submission to the GoI for further examination and selection as smart city.
Negi was criticized for selecting Pasight and for not considering Itanagar. But it was the committee which had decided on the basis of AMRUT criterion.
State capital Itanagar won the project in subsequent races with a pivotal role played by Itanagar Municipal Council by involving the civil society. Itanagar was among nine new chosen cities in January 2018, taking the city list to 99. Terming the selection of Itanagar as a perfect New Year gift to the residents, Chief Minister Pema Khandu said, “The New Year has become all the more special with this special gift from the Union Govt. The Centre’s intention in developing Arunachal Pradesh has become very clear and positive with selection of Itanagar.” He had also expressed satisfaction over the efforts put in by UD department officials, NGOs and other stakeholders.
Smart city is an urban area that uses different types of electronic data collection sensors to supply information which is used to manage assets and resources efficiently. This includes data collected from citizens, devices, and assets that is processed and analyzed to monitor and manage traffic and transportation systems, power plants, water supply networks, waste management, law enforcement, information systems, schools, libraries, hospitals, and other community services. The concept integrates information & communication technology (ICT) and various physical devices linked to the network(the Internet of things nor IoT) to optimize efficiency of city operations & services and connect to citizens. Smart city technology allows city officials to interact directly with both community and city infrastructure and to monitor what is happening in the city and how the city is evolving. Smart city applications, developed to manage urban flows and allow for real-time responses, are prepared to respond to challenges than one with a simple “transactional” relationship with its citizens. Thus, Smar City is also known as Cyberville, Digital City, Electronic Communities, Flexicity, Information City, Intelligent City, Knowledge-based City, MESH City, Telecity, Teletopia, Ubiquitous City, Wired City.
Major technological, economic and environmental changes, like climate change, economic restructuring, the move to online retailing, entertainment, ageing population, urban population growth and pressures on public finances had generated interest in smart cities, including. The European Union (EU) has devoted constant efforts to devising a strategy for achieving ‘smart’ urban growth for its metropolitan city-regions. The EU has developed a range of programmes under ‘Europe’s Digital Agenda” which in 2010 had focused on strengthening innovation and investment in ICT services to improve public services and quality of life. Examples of Smart City technologies and programs have been implemented in Singapore, Dubai, Milton, Keynes, Southampton, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Madrid, Stockholm, China and New York had pioneered the concept. It is estimated that the global market for smart urban services will be $400 billion PA by 2020.