The word ‘Smart City’ is one of the most overused words in the last 2-3 years but people couldn’t understand the exact meaning of Smart city. The Smart City concept is one of the most misleading concepts among people. Everyone used to dream about their Smart City to be like cities of London, Hong Kong or other beautiful cities. But after a time they end up disappointed as they couldn’t see such changes as they expected.

India is a country which used to focus over maintaining its existing resources and then opting for changes. But in reality it is not happening, the development can be seen but at a great price. A city will become smart not only with infrastructural changes but also its citizens need to be smart as well. A smart citizen can be a responsible driver on road, who used to help others, who follow traffic rules, who didn’t disturb the traffic a lot, who take the small initiative to help poor’s, who can give his/her some time to educate people about their welfare.

“A good infrastructure doesn’t make Smart City, whereas, a good Citizen makes a Smart City”. Everyone needs to understand their responsibility and utilize their rights in a proper way. A city will become smart when we all take initiative to maintain the things which have been made by the government for public use. Don’t destroy public property. A Smart City will become smart when we are having all the facility along with the basic available resources.  

We all need water, oxygen, and food in our daily life, so it is a collective responsibility to manage all these things. Save Water and trees then only we can get food to eat. To develop a city proper planning is required. Initially, a city needs a good sanitation system and proper sewage treatment to minimize pollution and minimize the wastage of water as well. The water scarcity is very much prevalent in India during the last few months so before considering and development first, consider how much it will affect the groundwater level.

In India, an ideal smart city would be not filled with infrastructural pieces whereas, these infrastructural pieces should be present in the greenery. The basic life exists in the environment and greenery. So, plants are very important to survive. Infrastructure should not be built over the cost of losing trees and greenery of the city. A Smart City should be technologically equipped along with its roots intact. Introduction of Industries, Factories or Business Park in the city for the sake of Cities economic development doesn’t mean it is necessary to sacrifice the Jungles, Ecosystem, or the Bio-diversity of the area. Making Business Parks by cutting jungles or making a magnificent hotel by covering the area of sea, river, or lake, this will only disturb the life of those animals. And to fulfill our selfish motto we are slowly ruining and disturbing the Bio-diversity.

The facilities for citizens should be best so that no one loses his/her life due to the delay of ambulance or unavailability of required medicines and equipment. The authorities need to plan everything from basics i.e. Water Management, Land Management, Infrastructural Management, Greenery Maintenance, Historical Monuments, and all the government services should be at the easy reach of every individual.

No rules and laws should be discriminative on the basis of any individual’s status or political reach. In an ideal Smart City, every citizen, administrative worker, government or private employee, unemployed, student, and even the political leader should have to treated like equal in the eyes of law. Every employee should work in a manner to make his/her effort count, not as that it’s his/her duty to do, so just finish it anyhow. A responsible citizen can definitely expect and hope for a Smart City but being an ignorant and selfish citizen, you can never expect to have an ideal Smart City.