Mission Smart City should not be seen as a means for extracting money from Centre

 By Daya Sagar
Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh has qualified for inclusion in the first list 20 cities under the Mission Smart cities after Stage-II test analysis as was performed by Apex Committee of Ministry of Urban Development. Those who have been to Dharmashala /MacLeodganj must be knowing that the internal roads are narrow and hilly but still during peak summer rush days the local traffic police in general manages to avoid the road blocks, it does speak of some capacity to deliver services ‘smartly’ where as Jammu city so often sees traffic jams even in Bikram chowk, Rehari Chungi Chowk. The status of public transport as available from Jammu airport/ railway station too suggests otherwise.
Simple investments and adding man power do not make one ‘smart’, it is the ‘maintenance’ of services and upkeep that is must for smartness and of course more are the hands through what the services flow, no doubt the way the employees are treated too counts.
To illustrate the existing status of sanitation, including solid waste management could be another key indicator of the seriousness with what the public bodies may be operating. No doubt there could be financial handicaps but how far is a particular management aware of the requirements on ground and handling the same within means as well as appreciating the minimum needs of finances / infrastructure without what a civic body may not be able to carry on with missions like ‘Swachh Bharat’. Here could be quoted the status of the “Safaikaramcharis” with corporations like Jammu Municipal Corporation / Srinagar Municipal Corporation. How can JMC/SMC deliver safe environment to their people when many Safaikaramcharis working with the corporations are daily wagers / temporary , are very inadequately/ poorly paid and hence may have to look for some other engagements worth earning the minimum survival needs for their family.
These Safaikaramcharis have to work in most unhygienic environment / handle materials that can cause infections and hence they need be even covered under special health cover schemes / allowances better than other government employees so that they feel encouraged and secure in keeping the environment for the citizens ‘Swachh’. But as the status goes there appears no any exercise having been done at any time in this regard where in financial support from the government might have been asked particularly for the ‘Safaikaramchari’ wages/ securities. Every next day we are experiencing strikes by the safaikaramcharis and they are being exploited for their illiteracy / economic status both by their own people as well as the ’employers’.
We may make one time investments for equipment / machines / waste handling plants but unless we m
ake the “on ground working hands” free of their minimum financial handicaps we cannot hope for ‘smart’ JMC/SMC. Should not a Safaikaramchari with local bodies be paid salary atleast equal to a lowest grade clerical staff in regular grade along with protections against the health hazards?
So, much can be done by the cities like Jammu and Srinagar for moving towards smartness even without any additional bulk capital input and even if Government of India does not include these cities in ‘list 100’ local managements to carry on with cultivation of ‘smartness’.
There is enough scope for improving the capabilities on ground worth making Government of India to
take notice of the civic bodies of cities like Jammu / Srinagar on her own so as to find them fit and
capable for inclusion in the next list of 20 cities to be announced under mission smart city.
…To be Continued
(Daya Sagar is a Sr Journalist and a social activist can be reached at [email protected])