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Hyderabad is well positioned and has all the ideals to transform into a smart city, opined the foreign delegates participating at the XI Metropolis World Congress here.
The delegates, who have experience covering urban development projects in top cities globally and heading hackathon competitions annually, strongly felt that the idea of smart city was not just about the technology but it's the people, and particularly the leadership of the city, that was able to mobilise the interest of civic and academic community, and the private sector to constantly interact to generate the best local ideas for domestic and global problems.
In the run up to XI Metropolis World Congress, the Indian School of Business and Telangana government have kicked off Urban Hackathon, inviting the socially-conscious application developers to create technology solutions to address the challenges faced by the urbanites.
Of the 20 teams shortlisted, five would be declared winners for their frugal innovations for addressing urban traffic management and parking solutions, cleanliness and sanitation, disaster management, women and children safety and slum healthcare solutions.
Explaining that smart cities doesn’t mean just big skscrapers beaming lights and fibre optic cables running fast, Tim Campbell from San Fransisco, having worked for World Bank on urban development, said smart cities were the one’s where civil society and government worked together to make them more liveable.
He further stated “if the Hackathon and Hyderabad’s response to Metropolis is any indication, then the city definitely has a bright future”. Campbell wrote a book titled ‘Beyond Smart Cities’.
Meanwhile, speaking to mediapersons today, Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) commissioner Somesh Kumar, which is part of the organising committee for Metropolis, said they were expecting more than 2,000 delegates, including 400 from abroad, to participate in the mega event.
Andhra Pradesh governor ESL Narasimhan will inaugurate the Congress on October 7, which will be attended by Union urban development minister M Venkaiah Naidu, Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhara Rao among other dignitaries. President Pranab Mukherjee will address the valedictory function scheduled on October 9.
