Challenges in Maintaining Smart Cities

Launching new projects is often easier than sustaining them. Despite the initial hype and media coverage, cities frequently face maintenance issues, a problem highlighted during the monsoon season, even in 'smart cities'.

Case Studies: Bengaluru and Pune

• Bengaluru and Pune, both considered 'smart cities', experienced waterlogging after pre-monsoon showers.
• This indicates that the true essence of smartness lies not in technology, but in consistent maintenance and upkeep.

Smart Cities Mission (SCM)

• In 2014, the Government of India announced the development of 100 smart cities using technology to address urban challenges like traffic congestion and flooding.
• However, the mission shifted focus to renovating existing cities and providing basic amenities such as housing, clean water, power, and transport.

Project Scope and Financials

• Over the past decade, approximately 8,000 projects worth ₹1.64 lakh crore were sanctioned under the SCM.
• The mission concluded on March 31, leaving questions about the future of Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) and integrated command and control centres (ICCCs).

Future of Smart Cities

• ICCCs were established in all 100 smart cities to facilitate real-time, data-driven decision-making.
• The parliamentary standing committee on housing and urban affairs recommended that the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) formulate guidelines for the continued operation of SPVs post-mission.

Conclusion

• There has been little progress on the continuation of SPVs and ICCCs beyond the mission's end.
• Effective use of public funds necessitates not just spending, but ensuring functionality through a culture of upkeep and performance tracking.
• Failure to do so would result in rebuilding the same infrastructures repeatedly every decade, which is counterproductive to the concept of smart cities.