Members of various non-governmental organisations and educational institutions met to discuss various citizen-centric aspects applied to Madurai’s Smart City Mission proposal here on Friday.
This was part of a workshop on ‘Building people's agenda for Smart Madurai’ conducted by South Central India Network for Development Alternatives (SCINDeA) and Indian Network on Ethics and Climate Change (INECC).
G. Balaji, Professor, Architecture Department of Thiagarajar College of Engineering, inaugurated the discussion. After explaining the basics of the proposed projects under the Smart City Mission, he elucidated the rehabilitation programmes for urban poor under to the Mission.
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The professor said that the core city area under the mission that spans a distance of 1,300 acres looks at streamlining its underground drainage facility, its water sources and its energy consumption.
He said that about 40% of the core city now had constructed toilets and e-toilet facilities. Most of the core city has UGD lines and that tourist amenities are being developed at Periyar bus stand at a large scale, Mr. Balaji said.
“At least 40% of the tube lights have been replaced by LED lights and the Corporation attempts to make the change across the city,” he said.
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Stating his opinion, the professor said that individuals must takes steps to ensure that there are basic changes from their end in order to ensure that the mission is successful. He said that individual sewage treatment plants are the answer to the prevention of release of untreated sewage into the Vaigai.
Other speakers, including S. Chandran, Professor, Civil Engineering Department, Thiagarajar College of Engineering, V. Kirubakaran, Director, Centre for Rural Energy, Gandhigram Rural Institute, and Bhaskaran of Honeywell Technologies, spoke on topics, including water, urban energy and technology's role in building a ‘Smart City.’
Mr. Chandran focused his discussion on reusing waste water and protecting channels and ancient tank systems. He too emphasised on the need for public participation for sustainable change.
“Unless we take charge of our own waterbodies, our children, like in today's times, will never be able to enter the Vaigai,” he said.