For some time now there is a proposal to make Srinagar a “Smart” City. Well, keeping its history in view, Srinagar by all angles deserves to be not only called a smart city but made into a real smart city. A 2000 year old city has no need to be called a smart city. Its own history makes it a smart city. Unfortunately, for some time the city expansion has gone berserk. It has expanded on all sides completely obliterating the real “Old” Srinagar which used to be called the Venice of the east because of its canals. Those canals have now disappeared leaving the city high and dry and dusty! The smartness of a city cannot be measured in tall buildings, fly overs and wide roads. The very first criteria for a smart city are its cleanliness, its natural greenery and orderly movement of traffic. In earlier times according to travelogues of some British, before 1947, Srinagar truly was a clean and presentable city. Not now. At present it is a messed up city. Like the Arab saying about no part of a camel being straight, Srinagar too is not right or straight in any manner. Take the traffic, drainage, roads, parking places, uniformity and architecture of buildings and so on. Nothing is orderly or to a known pattern. Everything is ad hoc! Straightening all the town planning and other wrongs may take a long time. However, the most important aspect which needs immediate attention and which can be improved and streamlined is the civic services. The most immediate attention in this regard which was recently highlighted by the Municipal staff is the garbage disposal. A strike by the staff for whatever reason had virtually converted it into a garbage city with foul smell everywhere. Only nature came to the rescue by covering the garbage scattered all over the city by a foot of snow! However, there was a positive people friendly act after the recent heavy snowfall. Roads were cleared immediately with the Mayor personally supervising the activity all over the city. Secondly, in spite of such a heavy snowfall, the electricity was restored within hours. The Mayor and the Chief Engineer Power deserve a hand! Before going for many “smart” landmarks like parks, fly overs, shopping complexes and so on, the most important aspect which the planners need to consider is to improve all the civic services to international standards. These would include power distribution lines, internal roads, drainage, and traffic, parking places, green avenues and so on. If we are able to achieve smartness in civic services, the city will automatically become a smart city. Let us hope the planners do take a note of it?
Smart City, Smart Services!
