Synopsis
- What is Smart city?
- India and the implementation of Smart city plans
- Mangaluru in context with smart city initiatives of the Central Government
- Encouraging Schemes of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development
Today, the word “smart” is a broad term. Earlier, “smart” used to refer to intelligent humans. However, now the word is being used to refer to hi-tech televisions, watches and phones.
So, what is the new meaning of the word “smart”? It means the use of technology and electronic methods to improve a project.
Therefore, when we say smartwatch or smart TV it means the use of technology to make these devices more advanced or hi-tech.
Now the question arises, can we use the word smart for cities and countries too?
Well, using the same explanation, we can say that a city can be termed as a smart city if the urban area uses technology and communications to improve the infrastructure, environment and living conditions of its citizens.
As the saying goes “The best way to predict the future is to design it.”
India and The Smart City Implementation
Quoting Mr. Kunal Kumar IAS, Joint Secretary, Smart City Mission, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs “Walkable cities transform the lives of the people, enable interaction, boost economic growth and foster innovation. Cities need to look at a systematic way of making change, by reallocating local funds and creating robust stakeholder groups.”
To help promote economic growth in cities, the Ministry of Housing and urban affairs had launched 6 key flagship missions
- Smart City- for the implementation of technology and communication for the development of cities
- Amrut-Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation
- Hridaay- Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojna
- Swach Bharath- Clean India mission
- Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna- Housing for all citizens
- Deendayal Antyodaya Yojna- Livelihoods for all mission.
The smart city program was initiated by the Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi in 2015. The program is a central government-sponsored scheme and has 6 underlying principles.
- The community at the core
- More results from limited resources
- Eligibility of cities to come under the scheme
- Innovation and sustainability
- Use of Technology
- Allocation of finances.
1. The Community at The Core
According to the scheme, the community, that is, its people and citizens will be the beneficial party of the entire smart city program. All schemes implemented by the smart city project shall ultimately benefit its citizens.
According to Phillipe Bouvier, Managing Partner, Urban Value Creation Consulting, “Human centered innovations will support the development of a smart and sustainable city.”
2. More Results from Limited Resources
The idea behind the smart city project is to extract maximum benefits from the resources available.
3. Eligibility of Cities to Come Under the Scheme
The cities selected for smart city projects shall be on a competitive basis. Cities that fulfil all the criteria can be eligible for the smart city scheme by the Central Government.
4. Innovation and Sustainability
The scheme emphasises on implementation of innovation and the sustainability and durability of this innovation
5. Use of Technology
As defined earlier, the term smart refers to the use of technology and communication for the development of the city.
6. Allocation of Finances
The Central Government will give financial support to the tune of Rs48000/- crores for 5 years for every selected city.
One of the fundamentals of becoming a smart city is discovering how to use data and technology to improve the services in a city and the living conditions of its citizens.
Mangalore and The Smart City Implementation
Mangalore Smart City- Way to go…. Way to grow
To implement the smart city scheme in Mangalore, the Mangalore Smart City Limited was created by the State Government. The MSCL is located in the corporation building of the city.
The mission of MSCL is to increase economic growth and improve the standard of living of the people of Mangalore by implementing various development schemes through technology and communications.
The MSCL has, since its inception, implemented various development schemes around the city including pollution control programs, bus shelter construction, public toilets, waste management and road repairs among other citizen benefit programs.
Some of the projects under the smart city scheme
- Water supply
- Energy conservation
- Sanitisation and drainage
- Solid waste management
- Transport
- Housing
- Economic development
- Road construction
- Health and Education
- Public lighting
Mangalore Smart City Projects
The Smart City project envisaged by the Government of India identified Mangaluru as a potential candidate for the implementation of the smart city program.
The following table displays the information regarding the centre’s smart city plans for Mangaluru city.
|
Number of tenders issued for proposed projects |
81 |
| Amount in Rs for proposed projects | 2885 crores |
| Projects completed | 31 |
| Amount in Rs spent on completed projects | 118 crores |
| Future work projects issued | 78 |
| Amount in Rs for future projects | 2359 crores |
The Smart city projects envisaged several development programs and schemes.
- Proposal for construction of Smart bus shelters
- Construction of E- toilets
- Road improvement from Nehru maidan to A.B Shetty circle
- Laying of underground drainage system
Under these proposals, The MSCL invited tenders from various eligible candidates.
Ongoing Status of Mangaluru Smart City Projects
According to an article published in the Times of India -As on January 2020, Mangaluru Smart City Limited has completed several plans and projects. There are 45 plans under the scheme out of which 13 are being executed under the Pan scheme and 32 are being completed under the regional development scheme
1. Clock Tower
The Mangaluru Smart City Project for The Clock Tower Was Estimated at 0.90 Crores. However, the Entire Project Was Completed in 0.75 Crores, Saving 15 Lakhs of Taxpayer’s Money.
2. Smart Bus Shelters
46 smart bus shelters are expected to be constructed under the mangaluru smart city plan. The bus shelters will implement the technology by displaying real-time bus tracking and route numbers.
The smart bus shelters will be of three types.
Type A bus shelters will have attached E-toilets. Type B will have no E-toilet but will be longer than type C which also has no E-toilets. different areas for the construction of the smart bus shelters were identified buy MSCL.
3. Smart City Road Works
Under the Smart city, smart roads project several road repairs and construction work have been carried out within the city limits.
The road repair and construction include street lighting street poles, electrical infrastructure and sewage systems.
Other Governing Bodies for The Implementation of Smart City Projects
Mangaluru Smart City Limited has appointed National Environmental Engineering Research Institute to oversee all Mangalore smart city solid waste management schemes and projects.
Smart City and Its Current Relevance in The Pandemic
Apart from development activities in the city, the Mangalore Smart city program was actively involved in the COVID19 readiness sector.
The program-initiated response actions through technology and hi-tech communications.
Encouraging Schemes from Of the Central Government for The Implementation of Smart City Program
To encourage cities in the Country to implement Smart City Programs, the central government devised several methods.
1. Smart City Fellowship
The Indian Government will provide a fellowship course to young and deserving candidates who are likely to contribute to the advancement and implementation of technology in smart city programs.
Accordingly, as of March 2020, 46 smart city candidates completed the fellowship and are now absorbed under various smart city projects all over the country.
2. Smart City Contest
To encourage cities to participate wholeheartedly in the smart city development scheme, the Central Government hosts the Indian Smart City Awards Contest.
These are competitions between cities to assess the implementation of the smart city schemes. The winners are decided based on innovation and implementation of ideas.
3. Ease of Living Index
The ease of living index measures the ease of living of the citizens by way of assessing three indicators:
- Quality of Life
- Economic Ability
- Economic Sustainability
The ease of living measurements will strongly help the government to track progress and achieve goals.
4. Municipal Performance Index
- As the name suggests gauges the performance of the Municipality in the particular city. The performance is measured by assessing five indicators namely
- Service
- Finance
- Planning
- Technology
- Governance
According to the results of the Ease of Living Index and Municipal Performance Index, Bangalore, Pune and Ahmedabad Are the top cities to live In.
5. Climate – Smart Cities
With climate conditions worsening by the day, The Central Government launched the Climate Smart Cities to ensure the development activities are within the framework of globally accepted Climate change norms.
Conclusion
The smart city mission has worked wonders in Mangaluru city. It is safe to say that Mangalore is on the way to becoming one of the smart’est’ cities in the country.
The City has implemented various schemes under the smart city program. While various schemes have been completed, other programs are under the development stage in Mangaluru city.
Mangaluru Smart City Limited,
MCC Office,
Lalbagh,
Mangaluru -575003
Telephone No: 0824-2220310
Email: smartcitymangaluru@gmail.com;
