The Smart Cities Program in Varanasi
Introduction
What is a Smart city? A smart city is a region that uses information and communication technologies (ICT) to increment operational proficiency, share data with the general population and improve both the nature of taxpayer-driven organizations and native welfare. Cities are home to a million people and with the growing population, there is going to be an increase in the number of residents in the cities worldwide which is going to result in a need for new infrastructure, environmental facilities, and growing demands from the residents. Smart technologies health to meet the basic needs so that they can be fulfilled and enable the investment from the public as well. Moreover, smarter cities are liveable cities and more responsive. Technology will help with digital solutions for smart cities being cost-effective. The idea behind a smart city is to amalgamate digital intelligence with existing urban resources so that more can be achieved with less. Tools like connected applications which are easily accessible on smartphones can help save lives, prevent crime, reduce disease burden, save time, reduce waste, etc. Hence the smart city will be more effective, and will we meet the demands of the public.
In the following report, the city of Varanasi will be discussed in detail and various proposal will be collected that makes it a smart city. Moreover, infrastructure such as transport, energy, and water will be discussed deeply, and a maturity model will be provided a clear idea about smart cities.
City profile India is a culturally diverse land and Uttar Pradesh (U.P.) is one of the most popular destinations in India and an immense number of disciples from Hinduism and Buddhism visit Varanasi district in Uttar Pradesh, situated along the river Gangas. According to CENSUS 2011 population of Varanasi is 1,198,491 and has a 79.79 sq km area.
Religious Belief
Varanasi is one of the seven sacred cities in Hinduism. and is known for the holy bath in the River Ganges. It’s a belief that once you take a dip in the holy River Ganges, people can achieve relief from transmigration, and adopt spiritual merits. It’s also famous for various temples music, handicrafts, and landscapes but is mainly known as the largest place in India for crimination.
Connectivity
The city is very well interconnected with the major cities such as Delhi (820 Km), Patna (289 km), Kolkata (681 Km), and Lucknow (305 Km) via rail, road, and air. There are several national highways that make the commute effective and easily handle heavy traffic. Whereas, Varanasi railway station provides 3 major lines and the Airport is 24 km away from the city. With the feasible connectivity, the population and tourism in Varanasi is increasing day by day and a proposal to develop city it into the smart city has been taken under consideration by the Government of India while restoring its modernity and heritage by 2019.
Engineering Infrastructure
Infrastructure is a framework that establishes a civilized living condition for the people living in the city, whereas engineering infrastructure looks at the technical aspect of how to make a city liveable via sanitation, transportation, digital networking, electricity, telecommunication and so on. Whereas, an amalgamation of technology, infrastructure, and citizens of a city makes a city smart.
Transport
Varanasi is well connected by air, rail, and road. Due to which it is very convenient for people to do business. Another good thing about it is that Varanasi is well connected to all other major parts of the country. Within the city, the transportation is connected by local taxis and rickshaws but with certain restrictions, cycle rickshaws are the major mode of transfer in local areas over here. Even after having a diverse approach to commute, the city is still facing issues with transport. Because of the increasing population, traffic congestion is becoming a major issue.
To improve the transportation in the city many ideas have been proposed such as:
Smart Cardrigh Introducing
Smart card system that is a single card for all public transport across the city. These smart cards collect the rider's daily transit and nearby stops data so the rider can get prior information regarding the service and estimate the price by one-time credit, hereby they increase the relationship between the rider and public services. As the traditional way of transportation makes it difficult to identify the upcoming transit stop or change in the rates. Hence, with the implementation of smart will makes it easier for the people to access the public services.
In India one of the major and cheapest methods of commute is auto-rickshaws which are highly accessible for short distances. Moreover, hand rickshaws are also convenient to access as they are cheaper than auto-rickshaws and according to Samanta and Roy ‘hand-rickshaw pullers are not in a very strong economic condition, they are habituated, feel comfortable in this profession, and do not want to change it’ as well as they are tiring for the driver and the riders as well leading to various health issues. Even though these commuting methods have benefits, they are the major reason of air and noise pollution. Hence to mitigate the environmental risk, introducing E-rickshaws will be effective and efficient as they work on batteries and that eliminates the risk of air pollution factors. Also, they increase the range of travel distance and are cheaper Bhardwaj and Bhardwaj state that ‘even Longer-range, affordable that operate solely on electricity and are capable of traveling 200 miles on a charge’. Moreover, they are ergonomically fit for the passengers and the driver.
Traffic Sensor
The use of smart traffic sensors would help ease the traffic flow in the city thus reducing traffic jams and thus reducing pollution. The use of traffic sensors would help the traffic police by surveillance on the moving traffic while sitting under one roof. With the help of smart traffic signals, the traffic flow will be smoother, reduce the traffic congestion, and will cut down the traffic mishaps, Moreover, it will reduce the workload from local traffic authorities because traffic authorities can directly convey the message to mobile traffic unit to clear the congestion.
Energy infrastructure
As Varanasi is situated along the bank of a river the natural resources of the earth can be used to generate electricity. Moreover, being a holy land, Varanasi is the largest land for crimination in India. Natural resources are used to for crimination such as wood and oil, furthermore, ashes and unburnt material are thrown in the river and pollute it. As a mitigation plan, an electric crimination is a smart option for green solution for crimination also Khan justifies that ‘Using the electric crematorium costs only Nepali rupees 3200 while a traditional cremation requires Nepali rupees 12,000. It also saves wood, and there is considerably less pollution. You have to keep evolving, there shouldn’t be rigidity. Otherwise, time will overthrow your culture’. Moreover, Solar panels are a very smart option by installing on the banks of the Ganges which helps to generate electricity for the electric crematorium and helps to light up the vicinity of the Ghats at the Ganges, moreover, solar energy is eco-friendly as they are far better than fossil fuel. Furthermore, the use of Flow water of from the river is also a smart solution and a source to generate electricity as there are turbines installed on the banks of the river. Water remains to be an important factor in economic and social growth being the most cost-effective resource.
Conclusion
Smart cities have gained a lot of demand now and will continue to flourish in today's growing world to make the cities liveable and provide the residents a synchronized and better lifestyle to suffice their demands as the population is increasing. Paying attention to pragmatic approaches and integrating smarter technologies will flourish economic development and help achieve the existing objectives more effectively. In a country like India with diversity in culture, people, and traditions, many more cities like Varanasi need to be developed into smart cities. The smart cities program will not just develop the cities into smart cities but also develop India as a country with respect to political, economic, and social growth. Moreover, the government will also make funding for the efforts, initiatives, and integrations which will be carried in order to face the challenges the city will undergo. All the assets suggested above with respect to transport, energy, water, and liveability contribute to my proposal for a smart city to help benefit the cities in an efficient manner.
Reference List
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