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The people of Nagaland state were left red-faced with embarrassment after its capital town Kohima was named “second most unliveable city” in India on August 13 2018, ranking 110th out of 111 cities on the Ease of Living Index (EoLI) conducted by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
According to the ministry, the exercise was designed to assess quality of life of citizens in select smart cities with an aim to generate information to guide evidence-based policy making, catalyse action to achieve broader developmental outcomes including the sustainable development goals, assess and compare the outcomes achieved from various urban policies and schemes, and obtain the perception of citizens about their view of the services provided by the city administration. Such surveys that expose dirt in the public could embarrass some cities but it also wakes up the government departments from the slumbers and throws a challenge to the authorities as well as the citizens to work towards improving quality of life by adopting new strategies and means.
The second edition of the same exercise (Ease of Living Index 2019 Assessment) has begun, assessing ease of living of citizens across various components – citizen’s perception, quality of life, economic ability and sustainability. This is why the officials of Kohima Smart City Development Ltd. (KSCDL) have been requesting the people of the state to actively participate in the citizen perception survey which started on January 16 and will conclude by the end of February 2020. It is one of the most important components of the assessment as it captures the opinion of the people and exposes the ground reality of a place but the whole purpose of the exercise will be defeated if the citizens do not participate.
Well, the people should take part in the survey without being asked to if they are concerned about the development and welfare of their city. People’s participation is important in this exercise- not to do away with the infamous “second most unliveable city” tag but to give a clear picture and true account of their city. They should highlight the facilities that the state government provide and the improvements witnessed since the last assessment if there is any, as well as point out the loopholes and areas that needed improvement so that the government agencies can consciously work on those sectors and enhance the quality of life.
Feedback of the citizens can be negative or positive but participation is necessary here. Non-participation of the people in such exercises, including elections weakens democratic institutions and allows corruption to thrive unabated. Indifferent attitude towards decision-making process, social welfare activities and surveys that have the potential to bring about change obstructs economic and social growth.
If you want to change, you should participate. Criticising from a far distance will create chaos instead of solving a problem.