Bangalore needs sustainable solutions to become 'smart city'

Karnataka capital is being considered as city with all ingredients to develop into a Smart City

Smart cities, a concept which has been in use in the western counties like Sweden for about three decades or more, may become a reality if pronouncements of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to set up 100 smart cities are executed.

Of all the urban centres and towns in the country, Bangalore is being considered as the city with all the ingredients to develop into a Smart City. But, to accomplish this deal, it needs mammoth funding, sustainable solutions and enormous political will.

That was opinion of many a speaker at the 'Regional Dialogues -- Bengaluru' on 'Sustainable Development Goals and Dealing with Climate Change' held as a prelude to the Delhi Sustainable Development Summit 2015.

The city, which does not have a proper solid waste management, housing solutions, power availability, water supply and pollution, could do with use of smart solutions to deal with the various issues faced by it, said K Jairaj, former additional chief secretary, government of Karnataka.

"Governance, infrastructure and reliable supply of water are the hallmarks of a smart city," said M Ramachandran, former secretary, ministry of urban development, Government of India.

In addition to these challenges, the government could come up against many more challenges, including immigration from the villages which is not a problem that the West has had to contend with, added Ramachandran.