With Panjim missing out on the first opportunity to get selected under the Smart City Mission, city-based experts feel that ‘Smart City’ is not Goa’s cup of tea. Even as the State government has decided “not to give up” on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ambitious project, Panjimites feel that their local body–Corporation of the City of Panjim(CCP) should work with people’s participation, going ahead with small-time projects that could make the Panjim the ‘Smartest City’.
The long pending issues like garbage, pay parking, beautification and cleaning of St Inez creek, clean and beautiful market complex, are the crucial areas which are covered under the Smart City project by consultant agency, ICLEI South Asia. City experts, activists and corporators, who have closely studied and followed these areas believe that the city doesn’t require crores of rupees to be spent on these issues which can be very well handled with small funding and public participation.
“I feel that Smart City is just a waste of time. It is a process where only the consultancy firm is making money and the city and its people are getting no benefit out of it,” Social Activist, Patricia Pinto said adding, “The CCP needs to work in coordination with people to make Panjim smart.”
Pinto, former co-opted Corporator, highlighted that a clean market, clean streets, pay parking and traffic management are some of the issues which need the attention of the authorities. It needs proper planning, which in-turn will make the city smart. “This work doesn’t require 1000 crores nor does the city require those plans that the consultant has drafted. Panjim is unique and we don’t want it to be compared with any other city. We want to keep the city simple, yet Smart,” she opined.
A similar reaction was put-forth by the Chairman of Goa For Giving Armando Gonsalves who quipped that the Government should stop all the nonsense they are doing in the name of Smart City. “Smart development is all about smart people and smart planning. It is not about consultants…it is all about people’s participation…,” he said.
The Capital city currently ranks fifth in the “fast-track” round of the competition, under which a total of 23 cities across the country will be selected for funds under the Mission by the Union Ministry for Urban Development. The State will be submitting its fresh plan by April 15.
“The Ministry has decided to give the top-ranking city in each of these 23 states and UTs an opportunity to upgrade their proposals in a fast-track round of competition. Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation (GSIDC) and the consultant agency ICLEI South Asia will study the proposals and the loopholes identified by the Ministry,” CCP commissioner Sanjit Rodrigues said.
Former Mayor and sitting councillor Surendra Furtado claimed that the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) scheme was far better compared to the Smart City, with central funding being 80 percent and State and Local bodies 10 percent each. “With JNNURM, it was nowhere that citizens would be taxed but with Smart City there is something called user charges, which would be imposed on citizens,” he said.
Furtado, who had always raised his voice against the Smart City concept, pointed out that the city needs to have a proper infrastructure in place to implement the project. Moreover, the CCP has, till now failed to take up pay parking on 18 June road. “How are they going to impose the Smart City project which speaks about pedestrians, cycling tracks etc along the busy lanes of the city?” he questioned.
