SMC Must Step Out of ‘Smart City’ Syndrome and Serve the Whole Srinagar
The promise of a “Smart City” carries with it visions of modern infrastructure, digital convenience, and futuristic development. But for the common citizen of Srinagar, the glamour of flyovers, LED-lit boulevards, and cosmetic urban displays remains a distant spectacle. As the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) continues to be obsessed with select projects under the Smart City Mission, it is forgetting its basic, constitutional responsibility—providing essential civic amenities to all areas of the city, not just the showpiece zones.
There exists an ever-widening divide between the so-called ‘smart’ stretches and the left-out localities of Srinagar, where people continue to grapple with broken roads, water scarcity, poor lighting, and waste mismanagement. The harsh truth is that while a few parts of the city are being polished to project a smart image to visiting dignitaries and tourists, the majority of Srinagar’s population is left to fend for itself amid decaying infrastructure and neglected services.
Macadamization of roads and inner links has become an annual ritual that rarely touches the neglected neighborhoods. Defunct streetlights in both main arteries and inner lanes leave areas in darkness, compromising both safety and mobility. Pavements in several localities are either broken or missing altogether, posing risks especially to the elderly and children. In many colonies, the absence of dustbins and a broken solid waste management system have led to unhygienic surroundings and health hazards. Clean drinking water, a basic human right, remains a daily struggle in various areas that the SMC seldom visits except during elections or VIP movements.
It is high time the SMC shifts focus from mere optics and embraces holistic governance. Smart cities are not built only through digital dashboards and flashy infrastructure. A truly smart city is one where every citizen—regardless of where they live—has access to safe roads, proper lighting, clean water, functional drainage, and responsive municipal services.
The SMC should revisit its priorities and stop passing the buck when it comes to pressing civic needs. It must deploy its resources equitably and adopt a ward-wise grievance redressal system that is timely, transparent, and accountable. Segregation of solid waste, revival of water supply schemes, proper installation and maintenance of streetlights, regular repair of pavements, and dustbin installation in colonies are not favours—they are the Corporation’s duties.
Citizens of Srinagar deserve more than token development. The SMC must rise above the ‘Smart City Syndrome’ and remember that urban governance is not about glamour—it is about people, public welfare, and consistent service delivery.
