By Rudi Warjri
Lately, there have been several write ups , news items and commentaries about the governance as well as the potentials of Shillong as a city. Invariably , the Government-led, Shillong Smart City Ltd (SSCL) has been under attack in the media. Letters with captions like “Pipe dream”, Buffering …., Smart City in ICU , a political party called it a “Bluff,” Call for Community involvement , standards as per SDGs, no improvement in junctions, Ailments of urban Shillong, City drainage system found wanting etc. Also, Shillong is among the 10 worst performing Smart Cities as per the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MOHUA), Government of India. In a recent national study, Meghalaya has been ranked as the third lowest-performing state in urban governance, following Nagaland and Manipur. The study, conducted by the Praja Foundation and the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA), assessed urban governance across 43 cities in 28 states and three union territories .
I came in as a member of the Board of the SSCP after the Covid pandemic period when the projects were already ongoing and a few of them were on the verge of completion. I therefore had no say with regards to the decision on the projects including the choice of contractors, etc. My participation has been largely restricted to monitoring the progress of the projects .
Certain factual clarifications for the information of the public as necessary. According to MOHUA , “The Smart Cities Mission was launched on 25 June 2015 by Prime Minister, Narendra Modi. It aims to enhance the quality of life in 100 selected cities by providing efficient services, robust infrastructure, and a sustainable environment. Through smart solutions, the mission seeks to promote economic growth, inclusivity and sustainability by focusing on the social, economic, physical, and institutional pillars of urban development. By addressing residents’ diverse needs— from housing and transport to education, healthcare, and recreation—the mission aspires to create dynamic urban spaces that evolve to meet the aspirations of their citizens, serving as replicable models for other cities.” I suppose there should be no dispute on the comprehensive concept and essence of the Smart Cities Mission of the Government of India .
For several reasons, Shillong was the last 100th city to be selected in June, 2018. The projects are largely Government of India funded for a specified amount allocation and for a specified time period. The idea was the projects would demonstrate as symbols or templates in a city. It was for the State Governments and the communities to come out with more such projects. The public should have no illusion that such projects would carry on infinitely at the behest of the Government of India. States concerned could however continue with such projects from their own resources. I affirm that the projects launched so far in Shillong city would barely touch 10% of what Shillong city would need for a truly Smart City transformation .
Some of the visible or not so visible projects in Shillong both completed and yet to be completed are: Polo Commercial Complex, Redevelopment of Laitumkhrah Market, Rain Water Harvesting, Waste Water Treatment, Business cum Tourism and Cultural Centre, Open Air Gyms, Retrofitting and Up gradation of 3 Multi-level Car Park, Integrated Command and Control Centre , Office cum automated Multi-Level Car Park at Mawkhar, Roof Top Solar System, Improvement of Walkways, Drainage System, Mechanized Multi-level Car Park at Motphran, Solid Waste Management, Integrated Control and Command Centre – http://sscl.meghalaya.gov.in/
One project that monumentally stands abandoned after several crore rupees have been spent is the Lachumiere smart road project behind All Saints Church. Feasibility is cited as the reason. Nobody knows why and how the project was decided in the first place. The Deputy Chief Minister in charge, Urban Affairs has also issued a statement on the matter, without elaborating on the feasibility question and the wastage of public funds .
What would take Shillong or the New Shillong to be a Really Smart City?
1)Address the systemic problems . Take Traffic – why can fly-overs not be built? It’s largely due to issues or non-availability of land. So ministers, bureaucrats planners etc., in the Government should take the hard lessons learned from the Old Shillong. Unbelievably , a simple thing like space for cycling(Photo Ops with Milind Soman is fine) and walking for pedestrians has not been thought of for the New Shillong Township. This is because the mindset has largely catered to the false sense of those who are social status conscious – which is to own as many cars.
2) Position of the KHADC and Dorbar Shnongs with regard to civic governance: Irrespective of the imperfections, there is some clearer system for areas under the Municipality. If one has a garbage collection problem one can call the Municipality. In case of non-Municipal areas like where I live (next to National Law University ), garbage that is freely thrown from vehicles has been lying around for months and as residents we don’t know who to turn to. Not to talk of larger issues like pathetic conditions of rivers, drains, the environment, etc.
3)Integrated Command and Control Centre at Umsawli: New Shillong is equipped with State of the Art technology to monitor real time activities and movements around Shillong City. Its effectiveness however depends on the administrative efficiency and real time data supplied by the concerned departments in the Governments and other agencies. Law and order, crime prevention and detection and traffic management by the Police department . Waste, garbage, litter management by the Urban Affairs Department. Municipality and the Dorbar Shnongs in non Municipal areas; Condition of highways by the National Highway Authority; Conditions of roads ( with potholes everywhere that also are a safety hazards) by the PWD; Electricity supply (interrupted off and on ) by the Power Department and MeECL; Water supply by the PHE; Health data by the Health department and so on and so forth .
4)About two years ago I had written an article – Making Shillong City More Livable: The need for an empowered Shillong Governing Authority. My suggestion was a result of the symposia held at IIM Shillong on Improving Mobility in Shillong City with the subject of Traffic jam as the main issue. I had also mentioned that MoHUA launched the Citizen Perception Survey (CPS) 2022. CPS is a part of the Ease of Living Index 2022 that aims to capture the opinion of citizens about the quality of life in their city; economic ability and sustainability, https://eol2022.org/citizenfeedback. I wonder how may citizens responded to that survey. A Shillong Governing Authority which can act coherently on all the issues of civic governance including poverty which leads to uncontrolled hawking , vending, drug trafficking etc; the urban migration and migration from other states that lead to overcrowding. The Shillong Governing Authority can be the “institutional pillar” as eloquently stated in the Smart Cities Mission of MOHUA.
5) One must acknowledge the exemplary role played by groups and individuals like Jiva Cares (Jiwat Vaswani ) ; Operation Clean Up ; Greentech Foundation , Jefferson Kynjing , Nicky J and others with regards to Khyndailad beautification, checking environmental degradation, cleaning rivers; creating awareness on littering and garbage throwing, potholes repairing, etc.
An integrated system where all stakeholders can pool their resources and a consultative system where communities can meet and submit their grievances to the Urban Affairs Department is the need of the hour.