By Phrangsngi Pyrtuh
Urbanization is synonymous to modernization both regarded as by-products of the Industrial Revolution. Urbanization is a modern phenomenon and post the industrial revolution is a result of the pursuit of material wealth and higher living standards. Cities are no longer living organic entities but have become the source of capital generation. Since capital and wealth is bestowed in few hands only, investments and its return are shared/ distributed by those controlling the flow of capital. In the future, cities are going to become the mainstay of capital/investment growth. The rural sector will assume the residuary benefits accruing from the metropolis.
The smart city concept pf the NDA government endeavors to usher a new era of urban planning through nodes of autonomy and self regulation. The invisible hand of the market is the guiding tenet underlining the Smart City concept where the needs and requirements of urban governance is left to market forces. The Smart cities model replicate the operation of market forces for efficiency and productivity within the domain of democratic management where major decisions are left to the representatives of urban local bodies. Shillong for all the hype the Smart city generated is ill-suited to meet the demands of the model.
After the initial jitters and much skepticism Shillong was rewarded with a place among the 98 cities declared for the Smart Cities mission. A financial bonanza of Rs 500 crore spread over the next five years awaits the city. The buzz surrounding the financial package notwithstanding, there is a mellowed response to the project if not met with a sense of déjà vu. At the moment Shillong is ill prepared to opt for any kind of reconstruction or modernizing agenda. There are formidable hurdles which require time consuming efforts for resolution. Some of these issues need legal and institutional change which does not happen overnight. These are well known to the public such as the recent issue leading to the MUDA-KHADC slugfest, the building bye laws, the lack of representative urban bodies to oversee the projects etc. Ceteris paribus (all things being equal) more money allotted to Shillong will cause more problems than solution. The absence of elected urban bodies pre-empt all chances of success. It must be mentioned that even the JNNURM scheme was allotted to Shillong after making certain exemptions. The results for such exemptions are there for everybody to see. No one has benefited from the scheme. Some have blamed the failure of the JNNURM, Shillong Master plan etc on groups who opposes land acquisition et al. Even in a scenario where there are no opposition from such NGOs, there is no guarantee of success and the scheme would have gathered dust anyway unless we have proper mechanism of accounting and check the leakage of public money.
Coming back to the Smart city/Shillong theme, the Urban Affairs is certainly going to execute approved projects without finding solutions to the obstacles already mentioned.. Instead temporary solution would become the norm and would be necessary in order to avail the financial manna. It is expected that the Urban Affairs will learn from the fiasco surrounding the JNNURM project which has left a bitter taste in the mouth for most Shillongites. Crores of money disappearing without trace and incomplete projects uncertain of their existence or utility eg the Nongmynsong housing project etc! The only hope left for these floundering projects is only if the NDA government reworks these incomplete JNNURM projects under AMRUT.
Experts have already expressed doubts on the financial viability and sustainability of the Smart Cities mission.Though the objectives seems novel with focus being on promoting mixed land use, creating walkable locations, preserving and developing open spaces, promoting a variety of transport options amongst others, the Smart City model is technology driven and will become an important indicator for service delivery, efficiency, security etc. Some of these objectives have been vaguely mentioned in the Shillong Master plan which is itself in limbo. The presumption is that the Shillong Master Plan would occupy an important place in the Smart City plan.
The Smart city concept is a people’s driven agenda on what they want their city to become etc which is totally absent in the case of Shillong. For Shillong at least its residents have no say at all during the drafting of the Smart City Plan (SCP) which was sent to the Union Urban Ministry in order to qualify for the elimination stage of the 2 stage competition. All we know is that the Government constituted a 16 member State Level High Powered Steering Committee with departments such as PWD,PHE etc as members. It is now imperative to put the details of the SCP under public domain though the point of this exercise maybe too late since Shillong already figures in the Rs. 48,000 crore project.
The Smart city model is at best an oxymoron for Shillong. We will get the funds but will it make the city smart or the people living in it smarter? If the recipient of the project which in this case refers to the people of Shillong, feel alienated from the scheme of things the Smart City is at best superfluous. The only beneficiaries of the project are those who are going to control the flow/diversion of funds which going by the JNNURM experience may become unaccountable to the last paisa. It would not surprise anyone if those running the JNNURM schemes gets the same deal this time round.
The outcome of the Smart city project takes at least a minimum of 20 years to become visible. There are endless challenges for urban planning and management in cities all over India. The increasing population, the endless migration from the rural areas, landlessness and increasing inequality in cities etc are formidable problems which are beyond the realms of Smart cities. They requires long term perspective planning which is absent for Shillong.
My take is that the Smart city will exacerbate the situation of traffic problems, shrinking public places such as parks and pedestrians, increasing air, water and garbage pollution and what have you. Shillong needs to belong to the people if things are to change. I am definitely not optimistic when I say that 10 years down the line the Smart city tag will remain a euphemism of all that is wrong with the ineptness of our institutions, our policy and decision making abilities. The Smart city would instead become the Achilles heel for the city. The fall of Shillong is inevitable if we continue to ignore the signs.