Numerous issues to address : Making Imphal smart
- The Sangai Express Editorial :: November 30 2015 -

Making Imphal smart.

Or more precisely making efforts to make Imphal qualify for the list of 20 cities to be picked for making it a Smart City under the initiative of the Ministry of Urban Development.

This is the reason why the State Government has invited suggestions and ideas from the people to make Imphal a Smart City.

The suggestions have to be submitted to the Ministry concerned by December 15 this year.

It is encouraging to note that Imphal made the cut for the 20 cities across the country wherein 5000 cities participated in the City Challenge Stage-1.

Now it is Stage-2 and nothing can be left to chance to make the cut for the 20 cities list.

It is encouraging to note that the State Government has decided to toe the line of the Prime Minister and take the people along, inviting their suggestions and ideas, but the question of greater import is how well versed are the people with the idea of a Smart City.

How many people in Manipur actually know or understand what a Smart City is ?

What are the issues that are to be addressed if Imphal makes the cut ?

And what are the issues that should be highlighted to make the cut for the list of 20 cities ?

Did the State Government take up the needed initiative to enlighten the people on what a Smart City is, when this was announced by the Prime Minister some time in June this year ?

Suggestions and ideas can be shared only when the people really know what is being sought.

Time calls for the State Government to go on an extensive publicity drive to educate the public on what a Smart City is. Hope this is not asking for too much.

A look around should more than testify that Imphal really need to revamp itself to make life for the residents more convenient.

To the credit of the State Government the power supply scenario has improved considerably in the last one/two years and today it is no longer about load shedding every alternate day in Imphal.

However power supply cannot be the sole criteria to judge the life of its residents.

Take any other criteria and there is nothing much to qualify Imphal as a city.

So what the areas that the Government needs to work on ?

Or more specifically what are the points that the State Government need to put up before the Centre to qualify Imphal for the list of 20 cities ?

For one, the State Government need to seriously study the water supply question.

Why is there no running water supply in majority of the households in Imphal ?

How many times is the Public Health and Engineering Department able to supply pipe water to the residents in a week ?

How about traffic management ?

The Sangai Express has written numerous times on this and travelling or riding through the roads of Imphal at any given point of time in a day can be an exasperating experience.

Why did the traffic signals installed at some traffic points conk out the moment they were installed ?

How about college education ?

Addressing these points can go some distance in getting picked for the Smart City list.