AURANGABAD SMART CITY?

   

Aurangabad towards smart city?

                                                            Aachal Burande

     Smart city is the concept started with the Modi government. PM Narendra Modi visited Masdar, UAE on 17^th August, 2015. Masdar is the city with tag of smart city. It is known as smart city because it had completed all the parameters to become a smart city. This project of smart city also started in India, by the Ministry of housing and Urban Affairs. The conceptualization of Smart City, therefore, varies from city to city and country to country, depending on the level of development, willingness to change and reform, resources and aspirations of the city residents. A smart city would have a different connotation in India than, say, Europe. Even in India, there is no one way of defining a smart city. But strategy used is area-based development in the Smart Cities Mission are city improvement (retrofitting), city renewal (redevelopment) and city extension (greenfield development) plus a Pan-city initiative in which Smart Solutions are applied covering larger parts of the city.

          

            When a question arises is about Aurangabad. It was selected with 100 cities to become a Smart city. The plus points for Aurangabad are that, it is often called as industrial hub which is having four MIDC’s. It is the tourism capital of Maharashtra, brewery hub of Maharashtra state & it is best education centre for Marathwada and Vidarbha region, it has got Delhi- Mumbai industrial corridor. 1.5 million Aurangabad is spreading readily. After all these positive points, still Aurangabad really capable to be a smart city? From my perspective, it is not going on the path towards smart city. There are valid reasons behind this negative perspective. Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) and state government are known from all problems but may be they are neglecting them.

            City Aurangabad which is on the track towards smart city doesn’t overcome simple, basic needs of people. It is still way behind to at least reach till healthy and citizen friendly city. The basic problem which the city faces is about water. MNC provides water to city in every 2 days otherwise people have to use boar wells or tankers. MNC can’t even complete the basic needs of city. The important thing here is 6 among total 9 brewery industries of Maharashtra brewery hub, it is one of the most liquor producing city in Maharashtra. This industry needs large amount of water and on the other the drought affected region people are thirsty for water.  

            The second issue is rapidly increasing population of city. The increasing no. of suburbs extends the borders of city. At this situation, MNC should have planed infrastructure for outs curt. They should provide good city transportation system with city buses following a specific timetable. Because of the scarcity of the city buses, the shearing auto rickshaws are charging double rates. Here also needs neatly developed infrastructure for city buses or  transportation. Roads are in very pathetic conditions. They are full of potholes & narrow. They should be broad for the implementation of the idea of city buses.

           Further, the big issue is rising from last few days is the issue of domestic waste disposal. Disposal of garbage now became a big challenge in front of AMC because there is no place being available for disposal. This domestic and industrial waste made a river flowing through Aurangabad now became a biggest gutter. These kinds of crisis lead to health issues. When we talk about the health or medical treatment in city, it was the best service. But now from last decades, GMCH (Government Medical College & Hospital) is ruining its prestige & private hospitals taking benefits of it by increasing the rates. In this way medical facilities in city are becoming costlier.

           Transportation facility is a main service that should be in the parameters of smart city. Aurangabad has good transport facility of roads, railways & air. Aurangabad airport rank 19^th in India. But still it don’t have international flights facility. Even railways station didn’t became junction. After few days, this station will remain only as middle station between south & north railways. City has two bus stands one is central and other is in the Cidco area. Traffic issue arises because of allowance of private transportation and goods transporting heavy vehicles.

          Masdar city got award of smart city because it has less emission of carbon which does not harm to environment. Aurangabad produces a large amount of carbon dues to vehicles and industries. Another issue is f dust. The amount of dust in air is very high and troubling. The pollution control board survey found that dust particle are of 2ppm to 10ppm which may causes severe health related problems of lungs or may cause Asthma. Aurangabad city was one of the fastest developing city in Asia. But now it becomes fastest growing city instead of development. To stand in the line of smart cities, it needs to first overcome basic needs and later compete for the smart cities.