Indore has lessons for other Smart cities

Indore, the commercial capital and the most populous city of Madhya Pradesh, is ranked among the 20 best-performing cities under the Smart Cities Mission.

Indore’s proposal identified projects worth Rs 4,233 cr, with a major focus on the built-in environment and transportation sectors. Apart from the union and state governments’ contribution, The Indore Smart City Development Limited (ISCDL) is raising funds for its projects mainly from private parties.

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The work under the project is also reflected in the city being tagged the cleanest city for the fourth consecutive year, in 2020.

After facing the mounting challenges of waste management for years, efficient garbage disposal has now become an intrinsic part of Indore’s civic culture and this aspect has been incorporated in the smart city project as well. Landfills, which once towered over the city, have transformed into beautiful gardens.

The city generates nearly 1,115 metric tonnes of garbage every day. Under the Smart Cities Mission, Indore set up GPS-enabled waste collection vans, which were tasked with collecting garbage from people’s homes. There was also a campaign to ensure the waste was segregated at the source before it was disposed.

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MLA Malini Gaud, who was the Mayor of Indore, says although the Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) put all its might behind the cleanliness drives, the real credit goes to the people of Indore for the city’s makeover.

State’s Urban Development and Housing Minister Bhupendra Singh says Indore has become a model for other under-construction smart cities to emulate. While reviewing progress of the smart cities in the state in July, Singh asked CEOs of Bhopal and Gwalior Smart City projects to follow the example of Indore.

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In February this year, the pace and designs of Indore Smart City projects earned praise of the CEOs of 23 Smart City projects. The CEOs of Smart City projects from six states were invited to discuss challenges in implementation of different development works and share possible solutions. ISCDL CEO Sandeep Soni told them that change in the cultural behaviour of Indore’s residents towards cleanliness has immensely helped the project.