The catchy terminology of “smart city” 100 smart cities mission launched on 25th June 2015 for various states and union territories in the country can only be made smart with smart policy makers where, the mission future depends on how actively the state and civic bodies owns up responsibilities as they have to generate at least two time the fund allotted by the centre. Thus, the pattern of funding stipulated was 40:40:20: percent between centre, states and local municipal bodies could be a real joy killer to our ever happy begging state of Nagaland. The ideology of Narendra Modi the Prime Minister of India, was definitely for smart country but this colossal project involving astronomical figure of Rs. 2,87,143 crores as recommended by the “Smart city” commission and accepted by the govt. to be spent for the next five years can also be somersault to it vicious circle of penury if proper measure had not been adopted transparently.No doubt Nagas are adversely smart in manipulating and exploiting the loopholes and have the penchant to construct houses on the public road, irrationally protesting any project etc. could be the biggest stumbling-block to this “smart city” Project. Nay! This doesn’t means all the Nagas are bad, there are some exceptional virtue souls as well but looking at the present scenario of kohima city and its dismal roads where commuters started emptying their lunchbox on the road within a span of 7 K.M. or so, the tag of smart city doesn’t really augur well. Yes, only when we can make our vehicle move swiftly without potholes, uninterrupted power supply, sufficient potable water supply and efficient health infrastructures etc. not only our city but the whole Nagas would be smart.
Here we need to also understand the main feature stipulated for smart cities that includes;
a) Efficient land use; the state will introduce flexibility in land use and building bylaws to adapt to change.
b) Adequate water supply, smart meters, water quality monitoring.
c) Affordable housing especially for the poor.
d) Efficient urban mobility and public transport, developing road networks that also catered to pedestrians.
e) Safety and security for citizen, particularly women, children and the elderly with video crime monitoring system.
f) Sanitation, solid waste management, treatment of waste water, waste as a source of energy and fuel, recycling of waste.
g) Quality health and education, telemedicine, skill development centers, incubation and trade facilitation centers.
h) Assured power supply, smart meters, and renewable source of energy, green-building.
i) Good governance inline of e-governance, IT connectivity and digitalization.
In the context of this our custom, traditional landholding system, our rigid mindset, our topographical feature are seemingly playing havoc to our cherish dream of “Smart city” the lone enlisted city from the state of Nagaland among the other hundred in India.
Nevertheless, swimming against the tide will only isolate us further from the national stream and to swim a long with the current we definitely required extra effort and sacrifice from our end. Hence the followings are some of my opinions and suggestion not necessarily authenticated from any other source.
Pattern of funding; within the constituted framework for smart city, it will be a daunting task for the state to conform with the ratio of 40:40:20 % as matching share of centre, state and municipal bodies when it is finding difficult to come up with 10% normal matching share.
Alternative solution suggested: When we want good things, we the public stakeholders should also joint hands in partnership with the state govt. and in the face of such scenario we can surely shoulder a humble part by contributing a one day wage once in a year for the next five years as we deed on humanitarian ground toward the recent earthquake of Nepal. So also contribution from business community including contractors can surely supplement the financial constrained and this I believe all will support the project wholeheartedly for this common cause. In this way with collective effort we can achieve the target which will be a leitmotif record of social venture of social-virtue.
The prevailing condition of Kohima Street looks very bleak for four lane road but the ailing cannot be left to it fate if at all we have to make our vehicles move freely and swiftly. Therefore, as stipulated in the national “Smart City” project, the first phase sanctioned made Rs. 200/- crores should be judiciously prioritized on street-road widening and construction of flyover as refered to article “Traffic blues in Kohima” dated 3rd May 2009 posted by me. The followings are some of my personal views for Kohima Smart city and for kind perusal of Naga public thereof.
Street-road widening and construction of flyover;
1. Streets; As you know the capital city Kohima happens to be an unplanned one’s that there’s very limited scope for widening the existing road, because most of the residential buildings on both side of the streets are permanent structures. Under such circumstances, the question of demolition of those structures simply does not arise for that’ll imply legal complication.
2. Recurrent excuses put up by the bureaucrats and political echelon now stands irrelevant with the modern technologies in dealing with various nature and type of soil composition, where they very frequently umpteen times cited the unstable nature of soil composition in our capital city. Whereas, there are other places like Kohima, people have successfully constructed their commuting system of flyover, double-decked flyover for the traffic to move flawlessly.
3. Therefore, it is time to look-up at the empty space that is the sky. Yes, instead
of grumbling over the poor composition of our soil, we can competently construct the best type of flyover with input modern technologies, as there is no dearth of trained engineers among the Nagas. Remember, it takes less time to do a job than to keep on complaining about the work.
4. That, the recently constructed footbridges doesn’t suit any purpose against the traffic congestion. Therefore, in place of this footbridge, traffic flyover can be constructed wherever necessary.
5. Here, the feasibility as I observed; A flyover of single lane can be constructed starting from below north police station the erstwhile Tata parking and branching towards Choto Bosti/Bara Bosti and from this point double lane through Raju Point (From this point another single lane may be extended towards old NST) towards Parachezie local ground along the southern gallery and from the eastern gate of the local ground another single lane towards DC office can be constructed. The trunk flyover from local ground till M.L.A. Hostel (if necessary a single lane can be extended towards Assam Riffle Camp from this point in descending point) and to T.C.P. gate and from this point again branching one towards BOC and another towards national highway 39. However, this layout should be systematical with the ground lane to facilitate unhindered and coordinative movement of traffics.
6. Of course, this would come at a cost of 80 to 90 crores rupees at the conservative estimation (Now it can escalate to anywhere between 150 to 160 crores) but it’s worth affording it if at all we have to move our vehicle in our streets as well as to move along with the developed countries of the world in the real sense of smart city.
7. Power; Whereas, in the case of electricity power it may not be able to abruptly augment in a overnight but remember that our perennial rivers have the vast potential to generate surplus power if properly tapped. However for a real smart city our aerial power lines should be made underground cable system to make our street smart.
8. Water: As a matter of fact, there’s no single source of water to sufficiently meet the daily requirement for Kohima City, we should harness our perennial rivers and streams that would lead to the main reservoir. In this way we can at least ease our water problems to some extend but surely the consumers must pay for what they get through smart matter.
9. Waste management & sewerage: Instead of disposing our garbage, it would make more sense to treat our garbage that would save not only space but for energy efficiency by converting it to energy with modern technologies. Similarly, there should be proper drainage system in confluence with the national “Smart city” guidelines.
No wonder, here I have not covered many of the infrastructures such as health, education recreational facilities housing etc. but projected mainly on most essential lacking infrastructures that may be put to public debate to make the smartest city of “Kohima city.”
