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In what could be a standoff similar to the GST rollout, the Central and State governments are divided over the implementation of smart city projects.
Addressing businessmen at a conference organised by CII on ‘Infrastructure and Technology Opportunities in Smart Cities,’ Karnataka government officials pointed out that the concept of smart city should be looked into more closely from a physical infrastructure point of view, rather than implementing technology to manage traffic or put in fancy e-toilets.
Reservations “First, there is a need to improve physical infrastructure, then comes the rest,” said Roshan Baig, Minister for Infrastructure, Karnataka. Vandita Sharma, Principal Secretary, Infrastructure Development Department, Karnataka, added that the government will not use technology just for the sake of it, unless a large number of people can afford to use it.
The officials maintained that it is a State subject and the Centre, unless it is funding these projects, should not dictate terms. Also, there are differences of opinion among stakeholders on the definition of ‘smart city’ and whether it should be a public-private partnership (PPP) or completely private initiative.
“Many of India’s growing cities are suffering from years of inadequate investment in infrastructure and it is time the government remedies the situation,” said Mohandas Pai, Chairman, Manipal Education Services.
Some stakeholders pointed out that a framework is needed for implementing ‘smart city’ projects and making it work for a large number of people.
“We need to work on a sustainable roadmap, which should be come under the purview of an urban services regulator,” said V Ravichandar, Chairman, Feedback Consulting.
Lack of clarity Industry watchers also believe that not only the government but even the private sector is not clear about the smart city concept.
“Companies push the concept based on their agenda and there is no holistic view,” said Ashwin Mahesh, CEO of Mapunity, which builds GIS and mobile technologies for government departments.
India currently has 360 million people living in cities and this number is expected to double by 2030, which is expected to put pressure on resources such as water and electricity, according to a report released by CII and PwC.
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