Smart City - SOME SMART STEPS A MUST

Feb 07 2015 : The Times of India (Pune)

Amit Sethi Tp Pune





For breaking into the maiden Smart City list, Pune needs its civic administration on-the-ball with up-to-date infrastructure

Smart City project comprises residential as well as commer cial units with associated infrastructure like roads, market, schools, entertainment facilities, sewage, water treatment plants et al.These are self-sustained micro cities with open spaces and segregated complexes for residential and commercial use. Pune seems to have lots of potential for smart city development, but is it ready immediately for claiming a seat in the first 100 Smart Cities in India?

Aniruddha Deshpande, MD, City Corp Ltd, says, “Smart cities are those which have smart (intelligent) physical, social, institutional and economic infrastructure. Use of information & communication technologies (ICT) to manage the robust infrastructure is the key to the 'smart city' success. It is expected that such a Smart City will generate options for all residents to find their livelihoods and pursue interests meaningfully . Pune is a good candidate to be a smart city. However, to qualify to be one, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) will have to prepare itself to meet the stringent criteria and rigorous process. PMC's political and administrative set up will have to be really 'smart' to make Pune a Smart City .“Experts pointed out that urbanization accompanies sustainable eco nomic development and high quality of life by excelling in various key areas of the economy, mobility, environment, people, living, and government. Recent scientific work has shown that the 'rate of change' is increasing in modern society and specifically in cities as they grow. For example, larger cities like Pune create more wealth, more efficiently, than smaller cities. In doing so, they attract residents, grow bigger still, and accelerate wealth creation further. This is exactly what's happening around us. A neo-middle class is emerging with the aspiration of better living standards. Unless cities are developed to accommodate a burgeoning population, the existing setup may soon become unlivable. At the same time, unless the existing cities are retro-fitted with a sustainable module of urban environment; the existing infrastructure would collapse. The Prime Minister has a vision of developing 'one hundred Smart Cities' as satellite towns of larger cities and modernising the existing mid-size cities.
Vijay Sane (COO Kolte Patil Developers Ltd, Pune, opines, ''Although there are many definitions of a Smart City but according to me, Smart Cities are those which have smart (intelligent) physical, social, institutional and economic infrastructure. Such sustainable urban environment constitute of above four pillars on which the smart city rests. The centre of attention of each of these pillars is the citizen. In other words, a smart city works for ensuring the best for its entire people, regardless of social status, age, income level and genre.“ Pune is one of the cities with notable IT and manufacturing presence.It is already a reputable IT & manufacturing destination. The central government has earmarked Rs 7,600 crore for the development of 100 Smart Cities across India. Pune's inclusion in the initiative would be a great breakthrough for the whole city both in terms of its overall economy and its real estate market.
How ready is Pune for the Smart City development?
Arvind Jain, Managing Director Pride Group, says, “If we look at Pune's performance on the information-technology front, the city is well on the way of becoming India's new intensity hub for ITITeS. What is needed is a determined focus by the state government to enrich the city's capabilities in this regard. This would include a massive drive to increase Internet penetration even into Pune's semi-urban areas and further incentivize IT-related companies to set up shop here.“
Experts believe that as countries or towns move from being a primarily agrarian econo my to industrial and then service sectors, they also urbanise. This is because urban areas provide agglomeration that the industrial and service sectors need. This trend of ur banisation is very evident in case of Pune particularly . Rather, it's high time to frame urban policies and implement a planning programme at the Pune Metropolitan Region (PMR)-level. Over the last couple of decades, industrial growth followed by IT and employment generation is happening in the fringes and peripheral places of PMR. Hence, these areas have become real estate hotspots. Customers in Pune are typically urban, well-educated and well-informed, who prefer worldclass amenities and services and certainly want to be part of smart community living.Pune's real estate DNA of knowledgeable demand side and proactive supply side like private developers are the key catalysts for transforming PMR into a smart city .
Sachin Agarwal, CMD Maple Shelters, says, “An IT capital is expected to offer extremely advanced connectivity to enhance the ease of doing business here. In that respect, the most important step would be the formalize and implement the city's new international airport, since the existing airport cannot handle the kind of business travel it will take to significantly increase off-shored ITITeS business in the city. Commercial real estate development needs to be reoriented to put the accent squarely on information-technology, which will, in turn, require the state government to make such projects more attractive to both developers and occupiers.“
What is required is a proactive government and local urban bodies partnering with private business houses, township developers, technology partners and city stakeholders for time-bound large-scale urban renewals, new townships, new economic growth centres, industrial parks, urban infrastructure and transportation.
Sane suggests three simple steps as the basis of PMR's planning vision.
1. Consider urban life before urban place; con sider an urban place before technology 2. Demonstrate sustainability, scalability and flexibility over an extended timeframe 3. Use of data for optimisation of energy con sumption to reduce the operating cost For Smart City transportation and mobility an objective of optimum carbon discharge will require extensive and well integrated network of cycling and walking tracks, clusterlevel electric or hybrid transport and efficient public transportation system, Sane adds.
For promoting Smart City services and energy , local government should incentivise policies for the implementation of zero waste discharge and solar energy at various private developments and industries. Composting and Refused Derived Fuel (RDF) plants have to be commissioned to process organic waste at the solid waste management systems. All these investments in infrastructure and technology will pay off in the long-term. Pune corporations and PMR will have much efficient and transparent governance, which will reflect on improved living standards and city administration.
(The writer is economic, finance and real estate expert, CEO http:www.wealthguide.in)
QUICK BYTE
FOR PROMOTING SMART CITY SERVICES AND ENERGY, GOVERNMENT SHOULD INCENTIVISE POLICIES FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF ZERO WASTE DISCHARGE AND SOLAR ENERGY AT VARIOUS PRIVATE DEVELOPMENTS AND INDUSTRIES