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EventReport–Indo-GermanSmartCitiesWorkshop:SustainableUrbanDevelopment,Ranchi,19-20November2018,RadissonBluHotel,Ranchi

DespiteChallenges,RanchiisCommittedtoBecomeaSmartCity

- SimiMehta,AtharImamRaza,ArjunKumarandRaduCarciumaru

A two-day Indo-German Workshop on Smart Cities: Sustainable Urban Development was held onNovember 19-20, 2018 at Hotel Radisson Blu in Ranchi, the capital of Jharkhand. This internationalWorkshopeventwasjointlyorganizedbyHeidelbergUniversity,Germany(Branchoffice,NewDelhi)andImpact and Policy Research Institute (IMPRI) in collaborationwith theObserver Research Foundation(ORF),SchoolofPlanningandArchitect (SPA),Council forSocialDevelopment (CSD)and Indo-GermanChamber of Commerce (IGCC). The Urban Development and Housing Department, Government ofJharkhandandRanchiSmartCityCorporationLimited(RSCCL)aswellasCentralUniversityofJharkhand(CUJ)and Indian InstituteofManagement (IIM),Ranchi,actedas localpartnersof theWorkshop.TheeventwassupportedbytheFriedrichNaumannFoundationforFreedom(FNF).ThisWorkshopwasheldincontinuationofsimilarinitiativespreviouslyorganizedinBengaluru,Bhubaneswar,Coimbatore,Kochi,Kolkata,NewDelhi,Pune,ShimlaandAizawlsince2016,andcontinuebeyond2018.TheRanchiWorkshopwasthefirstofakindorganizedinJharkhandthatbroughttogetherscholars,students,policymakers,

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bureaucrats,governmentauthorities,civilsocietyrepresentativesfrombothnationalandthestatelevels.Theworkshopwasattendedbyover140participants.

The concept of “smart cities” is an area of extensive research, policy formulation, practice, andimplementation,itencompassestheadoptionofavarietyofapproaches.Theideaof‘smartcities’cannotberealizedwithoutinter-disciplinaryinputsandcollectiveideation.Towardsthis,theworkshopsintendedtonotonlyopenlydiscussopportunitiesandbenefitsofsmartcitiesmission,butalsocriticallylookatthechallenges that may arise. Consequently, the Workshop sought a look at urban challenges from anintegrated,holisticandinclusiveperspective,tofostersustainabilityandtoexploretheopportunitiesthatInformation and Communication Technology, as well as active participation and involvement of civilsociety,offer.Respectively, theWorkshophadtechnicalsessionson ‘Governanceand InclusiveCities’,‘Infrastructure’, ‘Resources Management’ and ‘Mobility’. The participants committed for theadvancementofRanchiandJharkhandintoaprogressivecityandstate,respectively.Areportcontainingthe findings and recommendations of the workshop will be published and circulated to all relevantstakeholders,atnational,stateandlocallevels.

TheWorkshopwasinauguratedbyMr.C.P.Singh,theHon’bleMinisterforUrbanDevelopment,HousingandTransportDepartment,Governmentof Jharkhand.Appreciating the initiatives,heopined thathisDepartment in the Government looked forward toworking closely with the organizers, whichwouldcomplementtheeffortstobuildRanchiasamodelSmartCityinthecountry.Speakingtotheparticipants,hesaid,“RanchiispoisedtobecomeaSmartCity,andinputsfromthisWorkshopwouldbeutilizedasatooltofosterthestategovernment’sinitiativesandefforts”.

Dr.SandeepChachra,asocialanthropologistbytrainingandcurrentlytheExecutiveDirectorofActionAidIndia,aswellastheco-chairofWorldUrbanCampaign,UN-HABITAT,deliveredtheSpecialAddressintheInauguralSession.Hehighlightedtheneedforjustanddemocraticgovernanceandeconomicjusticewhilecreatingthemissionandactionplanforsmartcities,especiallyfocusingintotheaspectsofemploymentforallsectionsofsociety.

Prof.Dr.AmitabhKundu, currentlyDistinguished Fellowat theResearch and Information System forDevelopingCountries(RIS),NewDelhiandformerlyProfessorofEconomicsandDeanoftheSchoolofSocialSciences,JawaharlalNehruUniversity(JNU),NewDelhi,deliveredtheKeynoteaddressonVisionandMissionforSmartCities-InclusivityandSustainability.Theoverallfocusofhisaddresswashisurgetothe practitioners and policy makers to pay special attention to the vision along with inclusivity andsustainability,andcriticalmatterspertainingtotheoperationsofthemission,whichcaterstotheneedsandaspirationsofeverysectionofthepopulation,especiallythelocaltribalpopulationofJharkhand.

TheDeputyMayorofRanchi,Mr.SanjeevVijaywargiya,expressedhisanticipationofthecontributionsoftheconferencethat,accordingtohim,wouldhelpthecitygovernmentinbuildinganinclusivelivablecity.

TheGuestofHonourfortheWorkshop,Hon’bleChiefSecretaryoftheGovernmentofJharkhand,Mr.SudhirTripathi,whiledeliveringtheSpecialAddress,pointedoutthatwhilethegovernmentiskeentobuildthecitiesasenginesofgrowth,itwouldalsogivespecialattentiontomaintainingenvironmental

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balance.NotingthatRanchiSmartCityCorporationLimitedhaschosengreenfieldunderthearea-baseddevelopment component, Mr. Tripathi said that environmental concerns especially protection andpreservationwouldbeanimportantdimensionwhileimplementingtheprojectsundertheframeworkofthe smart city mission. This vision, in itself, is a multi-dimensional exercise with multi-stakeholders.Quoting thechiefminister,he said “theUSPofRanchi smart cityhas tobeRanchi itself. It shouldbeindigenousandhaveallthecharacteristicsofthecity.”

The Principal Secretary, Urban Development & Housing Department and CEO, Jharkhand UrbanInfrastructureDevelopmentCompany(JUIDCO),Mr.AjoyKumarSingh,gaveacomprehensiveoverviewof the current and future initiatives of the Smart CitiesMission in Ranchi andUrbanDevelopment inJharkhandaswellastheplansforfurtherexpansionoftheprojects.HestatedthatonlyanintegratedapproachwouldsucceedinincreasingthequalityoflifeofRanchicitizens.AccordingtoMr.AjoyKumarSingh, the government has adopted a model tried successfully in Pune for Ranchi as well as otherJharkhandtowns.

Mrs.AshaLakra,MayorofRanchiMunicipalCorporation,expressedherkeennesstolearnandcollaboratewiththeexpertpartnersoftheWorkshop,tomakeRanchicityaSmartcityparexcellenceby2022.

TheDirector,DirectorateofMunicipalAdministration,aswellastheCEOofRanchiSmartCityCorporationLtd. (RSCCL),Mr.AshishSinghmar, sharedthebestandsuccessful/efficientpractices,whicharebeingfollowedbyhisteamtoensuretheimprovementofthegovernancecapacityandpracticesofall,notonlyin Ranchi but other cities as well. He also highlighted the concerns about unavailability of skilledmanpowerresourcesforRanchismartcityprojects.

Concludingtheproceedingsofthefirstday,Vice-ChancellorofVinobaBhaveUniversity,Prof.Dr.RameshSharanhighlightedthehistoricalshiftofrichsoilsofRanchigivingwaytoconcretizationregardingbuildingofroads,flyovers,buildings,etc.,overlastfewdecades.Heurgedforgreaterconsciousnessindesigning,planningandbuildingupcities.AccordingtoProf.Sharan,waterconservationandzoninglaws,havetobeefficiently implemented.Moreover,publicutilitiesarerequired,andthebanonmanualscavengingmustbestrictlyenforced.

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TheTechnicalSessionsofDay1includedthefollowing:

• Governanceand InclusiveCities:Thepanelists for this session included:Prof.Dr.UdayShankarfromIITKharagpur,DoweneedSmartLawsforSmartCities?;Prof.Dr.SatyakiSarkarfromBITMesraRanchi,SustainableUrbanDevelopmentthroughStrengtheningofRoadInfrastructure–CaseofJharkhand;Ms.PraveenaAnandandMs.MadhufromJagori,NewDelhi,CreatingSafePublicSpacesforWomenandGirlsinJharkhand;andDr.FirozAhmad from BITMesra Ranchi and Dr. Laxmi Goparaju from JNTU, Hyderabad,UrbanPlanning: An approach using Geospatial Technology. This session was chaired andmoderatedbyProf.Dr.K.B.Saxena,DistinguishedFellow,CSD,NewDelhi.

• Infrastructure (Planning & Design, Housing and Infrastructure): The panelists for thistechnicalsession includedthefollowingspeakers:Mr.SubhaB.Roy,PMCTeamLeaderfromRanchiSmartCityCorporationLimited(RSCCL),PresentationonRanchiSmartCity;Ms.PriyankaSharmafromEkjut,Ranchi,UrbanHomelessness;Mr.AnjorBhaskar,DirectorofIMPRIRanchi,EnvironmentalPlanning;Mr.IsmailHaque,SeniorResearchFellow,JNUand Consultant & GIS Lab Coordinator, IMPRI and Dr. Arjun Kumar, Director, IMPRI,Understanding Standard of Living and its Correlates in Ranchi: Insights fromneighbourhoodlevelCensusData.

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• ResourceManagement-I:Fortechnicalsession-III,panelistswere:Dr.M.DineshKumar,ExecutiveDirector of the Institute for Resource Analysis and Policy (IRAP), Hyderabad,More than Just being Smart: Managing Complex Water System in different UrbanTypologiesofIndia;Dr.SimiMehtaandArjunKumar,IMPRINewDelhi,SoilsandWasteManagementinUrbanIndia.ThissessionwaschairedandmoderatedbyDr.RumiAijaz,ORF,NewDelhi.

Day2beganwiththeWelcomeremarksbyDr.RumiAijaz,SeniorFellowandHead,UrbanPolicyResearchProgramme,ORF,NewDelhi.AccordingtoDr.Aijaz,togenerateawarenessregardingsmartcitiesmissionandsustainableurbandevelopmentinIndiancities,oneneedstoadoptaholisticapproachtocurtailthesmartcitychallenges.

ThewelcomeremarkswerefollowedbytheSpecialAddressofDr.GurjeetSingh,Coordinator,SocialAuditUnit,Governmentof Jharkhand.Dr.GurjeetSinghemphasizedthataccountabilityandtransparency insmartcitymanagementneedtobestrengthened,byadoptingapeople-centricapproach.Forbettersmartcitygovernance,thereisavitalneedfortransparentauditmechanisms.Dr.Singhalsostressedonpeople-friendly technology and importance of peripheral area development in smart citymission,whichwill

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secure the open spaces and preserve the inclusive characters of the city, enabling excluded ordisadvantagedcitizens,suchas,slumdwellers,laborclass,streetvendors,andvegetablesellers,tohaveanequitableandfairaccesstourbanspace.

Dr.Singh’saddresswasfollowedbyTechnicalSessionsIVandV,whichfocusedonMobilityandResourceManagement-II.

• Mobility:Thespeakersofthissessionwere:Prof.Dr.R.B.BhagatfromtheInternationalInstituteforPopulationScience(IIPS),Mumbai,DemographicDynamicsandCityPlanning;Dr.D.Dhanuraj,Chairmanof theCentre forPublicPolicyResearch (CPPR),Kochi,UrbanMobility in SmartCityInitiative- Prospects and Challenges; Mr. Sandeep Jha, President of the Indian Institute ofArchitects (IIA)- Jharkhand Chapter, Slums and Housing in Jharkhand; and Mr. Rajiv Chadda,ArchitectatChaddaandAssociates,Ranchi,UrbanRenewalinRanchi.ThissessionwaschairedandmoderatedbyProf.Dr. JandhyalaB.G.Tilak,DistinguishedProfessor,CSD,NewDelhiandFormerVice-Chancellor,NUEPA,NewDelhi.

• ResourceManagement- II: The technical sessionV and last sessionof theWorkshophad thefollowingspeakers:Prof.Dr.BrajeshK.DubeyfromIITKharagpur,SmartResourceManagementforSustainableUrbanisation;Dr.AmitKumar&Ms.DikshafromCentralUniversityofJharkhand,UrbanGrowthandEnvironmentalSustainability;Mr.SunilKumarAledia,DirectorofCentreforHolisticDevelopment,NewDelhiandNationalConvenor,NationalForumforHomelessHousingRights(NFHHR),HomelessShelterRightsandChallengesinCities;Mr.RajeevGupta,CEO,RanchiMall, A tech Startup, Role of Technology in in City Development; Mr. Suranjeen PrasadPallipamula,SeniorAdvisor,JHPIEGO,PlanningforFoodandNutritionSecurityforSmartCity;Dr.SoumyadipChattopadhyay,VisvaBharatiUniversity,FinancingStrategiesforSmartCitiesinIndia:An Analytical Perspective. Prof. Dr. Harishwar Dayal, Director-in-Chief of the Centre for FiscalStudies,Planning-cum-FinanceDepartment,GovernmentofJharkhand,wasthediscussantofthissession,whichwaschairedandmoderatedProf.Dr.AshokPankaj,Director,CSD,NewDelhi.

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Photographedaboveare:1.Dr.GurjeetSingh,Coordinator,SocialAuditUnit,Govt.ofJharkhand2.Prof.Dr.JandhyalaB.G.Tilak,DistinguishedProfessor,CouncilforSocialDevelopment(CSD),NewDelhiandFormerVice-Chancellor,NUEPA,NewDelhi3.Prof.Dr.AshokPankaj,Director,CouncilforSocialDevelopment(CSD),NewDelhi4.Ms.Diksha,CentralUniversityofJharkhand5.Prof.Dr.R.B.Bhagat,InternationalInstituteforPopulationSciences(IIPS),Mumbai6.Dr.D.Dhanuraj,Chairman,CenterforPublicPolicyResearch(CPPR),Kochi7.Mr.RajeevGupta,CEORanchiMall-ATechStartup8.Ms.PraveenaAnand,Jagori,NewDelhi9.GroupPhotograph10.Prof.Dr.HarishwarDayal,DirectorinChief,CentreforFiscalStudies,Planning-cum-FinanceDepartment,Govt.ofJharkhand11.Prof.Dr.BrajeshKDubey,IndianInstituteofTechnology(IIT)Kharagpur12.Dr.SoumyadipChattopadhyay,VisvaBharatiUniversity,Santiniketan,WestBengal13.Dr.UdayShankar,IndianInstituteofTechnology(IIT)Kharagpur14.Mr.IsmailHaque,SeniorResearchFellow,JNUandConsultantandGISCoordinator,IMPRI15.Prof.Dr.RameshSharan,Vice-Chancellor,VinobaBhaveUniversity,Hazaribagh16.Dr.M.DineshKumar,ExecutiveDirector,InstituteforResourceAnalysisandPolicy(IRAP),Hyderabad17.Mr.AnjorBhaskar,IMPRI18.Mr. SunilKumarAledia,Director,Center forHolisticDevelopment,NewDelhi andNationalConvenor,NationalForumforHomelessHousingRights(NFHHR)19.Mr.RajivChadda,ChaddaandAssociates,Ranchi20.Mr.SandeepJha,President,IndianInstituteofArchitects(IIA),JharkhandChapter

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Prof. Dr. K.B. Saxena, a career bureaucrat, working in and on Jharkhand since 1965 and currentlyDistinguishedFellowatCSD,NewDelhideliveredaSpecialAddress,whereheenumeratedthehurdlesandchallengesoftheSmartCitiesMissionandtheimplementationofitsprojects.Prof.K.B.Saxenastatedthat unless thebasics of equity andequality arenot fulfilled, and that the vulnerable sectionsof thepopulationincluding,women,children,ScheduledCastesandScheduledTribes,thespeciallyenabledandtheelderlyarenotprioritized,thegoaloftheSmartCityMission,toincreasethelivabilityandqualityoflifeinIndiancities,willremainunaccomplished.

Thetwo-dayWorkshopwascoordinatedandfacilitatedbyDr.SimiMehta(CEOandEditorialDirectorofIMPRI),Dr. des.RaduCarciumaru (ResidentRepresentative,HeidelbergUniversity, BranchOfficeNewDelhi)andDr.ArjunKumar(DirectorofIMPRI).RapporteuringwasundertakenbyscholarsfromIMPRIandCUJ.

Dr.des.RaduCarciumaruemphasizedontheneedforparticipatorycitywherefocusisgivenonupliftmentofthestandardoflifeofeverycitizen.HehighlightedthecommonalitiesintermsofopportunitiesandchallengesforGermanandIndiancitiesaswellascitiesaroundtheglobe,whichcanbeharnessedforpositiveimpactbymutuallearningandsharingofknowledge.

Dr.ArjunKumar,onbehalfoftheorganizers,highlightedandexpressedhisgratitudetoDr.SunilKumarBarnwal,SecretarytotheChiefMinisterofJharkhand,forhisoverallguidanceandsupporttowardstheworkshopandmobilizingalltherelevantstakeholdersforimpactfuldeliberations.

Dr. Simi Mehta thanked and congratulated every stakeholder of the Workshop for their activeparticipationandcontributiontowardssuccessfulcommencementoftheevent.

Thetwo-dayWorkshop inRanchiwitnessedtheenthusiasticparticipation fromdistinguishedscholars,leading in their areas of expertise, young and motivated researchers, high-ranking governmentrepresentatives,locallyandnationallyreputedNGOs,studentsandmassmedia.

The lively, zealous engaged interactions and debates witnessed during the two-day WorkshopdemonstratedtheaspirationsandcommitmentoftheparticipantstobuildaninclusiveSmartCityoftheirdreams.Inessence,thesereflectedtheiroptimismthatsustainableurbanizationinJharkhandwouldcatertotheneedsofeverysectionofthesocietyandachievetheSustainableDevelopmentGoalsoftheUnitedNationsinatime-boundmanner.

TheprintandelectronicmediainEnglishandHindicoveredtheWorkshopwidely,forexample:Dailyhunt,PrabhatKhabar,Khabarmantra,NavbharatTimes(Indiatimes),DainikBhaskar,DainikJagran;ETReality,The Week, Eletsonline, Moneycontrol, Business Standard, Eenaduindia, Reporter post, Devdiscourse,India.com,TimesofIndiaandtheTelegraph.

AcomprehensivereportcontainingthedeliberationsfindingsandrecommendationsoftheworkshopwillbedisseminatedtoalltherelevantstakeholdersandinterestedcitizensinRanchiandbeyond.

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News-clipsaboveare:

1. TheTimesofIndia,Nov.20,20182. DainikBhaskar,Nov.20,20183. DainikJagran,Nov.20,20184. TheTelegraph,Nov.20,20185. KhabarMantra,Nov.20,20186. Hindustan,Nov.20,20187. PrabhatKhabar,Nov.20,2018