Doon yet to prove fitness for smart city project

Neena Sharma

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, July 1

Although the Union government has approved the state’s proposal of including Dehradun in the list of towns to be developed into smart cities, the state Urban Development Department will have to face several conditions before a city can be included in the project.

Much to the dismay of the authorities, none of the cities that the department is eying — Dehradun, Haridwar and Roorkee, meet the conditions laid down for the smart city project.

These cities are low on tax collection, administrative reforms, have poor sources of income and continue to rely on the state government to pay the salaries of employees. For that matter, even under the JNNURM, the compliance with the conditions of the cities selected under the project, including Dehradun, was rather tardy.

“As of now, we have to make our cities reach a certain level so that they could become worthy of the project. Only then will we be able to say for sure which city will be shortlisted for the smart city project,” said DS Garbyal, Secretary, Department of Urban Development.

Officials in the department say even though Dehradun is the capital of Uttarakhand, it scores poorly on municipal reforms and independent revenue generation.

“The smart city project calls for redevelopment and opting for green field projects, However, Dehradun has its limitations. Redeveloping old areas is a difficult choice as the citizens are not willing to vacate the places. We faced delays and difficulties while relocating Chakrata Road shopkeepers in Dehradun. However, we can take up green field projects, acquire land from rural areas to develop satellite towns. But for developing a new area, we will have to negotiate with the authorities other than the local bodies (village bodies). However, the guidelines do not say anything on this,” said a senior official.

The department is now looking towards the government for directives, so that it does not have to spend time deciding on a city.

What is a smart city?

A smart city is equipped with basic infrastructure to give a decent quality of life and a clean and sustainable environment through application of some smart solutions. It also assures water and electricity supply, sanitation and solid waste management, efficient urban mobility and public transport, robust IT connectivity, e-governance, citizen participation and the safety and security of citizens.

The challenges

None of the cities the state Urban Development Department is considering — Dehradun, Haridwar and Roorkee — meet the conditions for the smart city project. These cities are low on tax collection, administrative reforms, have poor sources of income and continue to rely on the government to pay the salaries of staff