Shivamogga: Shivamogga known as gateway of Malnad, has been selected for the Smart City project of the Central government but city residents are not sure yet if the tag will really benefit the city known as the ‘Gateway of Malnad.’ Some senior citizens contend that along with the city becoming smart, officials and politicians need to become smarter to deliver the goods.
As soon as the project was announced in June this year, there was a lot of apprehension whether the city will become really smart and provide a conducive atmosphere for the common man.
The onus of preparing the Smart City project is on the Shivamogga City Corporation. The Corporation has to submit a Smart City Proposal (SCP) to the Ministry of Urban Development which will take into account the discussions held with city residents and other stakeholders and match them with the vision in the Smart City proposal. Sustainable suggestions and ideas from citizens on how to make Shivamogga a Smart City are being collected through essay competitions and by sharing ideas in a blog.
Residents have responded by sharing their ideas and vision pertaining to infrastructure services and solutions for proper water supply, recycling and conservation, energy management using the smart grid, sanitation including solid waste management, efficient urban mobility, robust IT connectivity and digitization, safety and security of citizens, Smart street lighting, public wi-fi network, parking, intelligent traffic management, energy efficient street lights, health and education services using IT enabled smart applications, innovative use of open spaces. The citizens also posted their ideas on financing of the Smart City plan.
Sharing her views, Ms. Ashwini suggested mandatory rainwater harvesting and solar water heating. Efficient delivery of utilities like drinking water, electricity, wi-fi connections, and management of solid waste and sanitation is a must, she said.
