From the Kapurthala Chowk in Jalandhar to Wariana village, the roads are in a totally dilapidated condition. Though Jalandhar should have become an evolved city when it was included in the Smart City Mission in 2016, nothing seems to have changed on the ground, all these years. I had spent the first half of my life in Jalandhar and am now living in Kapurthala. We have to learn to obey the law of the land, besides being self-disciplined and responsible to make Jalandhar truly a Smart City.Ĭol GS Bhullar (Retd) The Garha road being dug up to lay water pipes. Unless corruption is driven out from our system, nothing will improve. Local administrative machinery has also totally failed to implement the Swachch Bharat drive. We miserably lack civic sense and responsible behviour. The city has become only more polluted and overcrowded. The living standard of city residents has not improved. I have known Jalandhar city for the past several years. In the last 75 years, all governments failed to provide clean drinking water, solution to proper disposal of garbage, hygienic environment and some check on growth of population. We as a nation have failed on many fronts. Jalandhar cannot become a smart city unless the government authorities take measures to deal with the perennial problem of encroachments, among various other issues that are being faced by the residents in the city. Even though the Municipal Corporation spends a lot of the taxpayers’ money for the maintenance of various civic facilities, it has clearly failed to tackle the issue of rampant encroachment. The widespread encroachment is among the biggest factors hampering the project. Poor administration and a lack of will to implement the guidelines have resulted in the extremely slow development of the city. Rajat Kumar Mohindru A pothole-riddled Wadala road.
Jalandhar can become a Smart City only when authorities complete the projects. Surprisingly, on some roads and streets, LEDs are more than the required number, showing little planning. LEDs are being installed to lighten up streets. There’s an urgent need for increasing the parking areas. Also, there are no zebra crossings at traffic signals. However, at most places the sidewalks are encroached upon by vendors and vehicles, forcing the people to walk on road. The work is also currently underway to increase the width of footpaths to 3-5 feet. Many parks in the city need immediate attention. While PAP flyover has been beautified, most roundabouts are still awaiting development. But the work on laying the network of water pipes is moving at a snail’s pace. For instance, the city has a sufficient number of tubewells for regular supply of hygienic potable water, besides the water from the Bist Doaba Canal. Since then, the required pace of development of the city and progress of several projects have been tardy. In 2016, Jalandhar was included on the list of Smart City Mission. Smart city projects moving at snail’s pace
Suggestions in not more than 200 words can be sent to by Thursday (September 15) With so many fairs and carnivals happening across the state, do you think authorities take appropriate safety measures to avoid such mishaps? Several persons were injured when a high-rise spinning swing broke down at 50 ft and fell on the ground at a fair in Mohali district recently. What we need is a change in the attitude of the masses. And there is lack of opportunities for entrepreneurs. There is no end to menace of stray cattle and dogs. Playgrounds and parks are rarely maintained. Overflowing sewers are not at all in sync with the very concept of a smart city. Does anyone see the city transforming in a way that improves the quality of life for the citizens? Jalandhar Tribune regularly carries news stories that reveal the real status of the city. Even the attitude of city residents, too, hasn’t changed. It continues to grapple with same old problems. Six long years have elapsed, but there’s hardly any visible change that can show that the city is on its way to becoming a ‘Smart City’. The Smart City Mission was launched on June 25, 2015. The first and foremost step in transforming a city to a smart city is to make the citizens ‘smart’ by changing their attitude. Six years on, nothing has changed on groundĪ quote by Plato goes, ‘The city is what it is because our citizens are what they are.’ ‘Smart’ is not just a word, it is an attitude.
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