Seven cities from Uttar Pradesh have been selected under the Smart Cities Mission, paving way for Allahabad, Jhansi, Aligarh, Lucknow, Varanasi, Kanpur and Agra to embark upon on a journey to become ‘smart’ through digital innovations. Use of ICT can be viewed not only in these selected cities but also in every nook and corner of Uttar Pradesh. Susmriti Sahu of Elets News Network (ENN) interviewed Municipal Commissioners of Agra, Aligarh and Moradabad to gauge the pulse of these cities in terms of e-Governance.
Commissioner
Agra Municipal Corporation
What digital initiatives have been taken by Agra Municipal Corporation?
By adopting e-governance, today birth and death registrations can be done online. People can avail birth certification from nursing homes by applying online.
The corporation has digitised services like property tax, e-tendering, complaints, property registration, etc. We are also offering DES (Double Accounting Entry System) through which people can pay their taxes.
All the documentation processes have been fully digitised. We are now trying to integrate all these services on a single platform.
How are you planning to develop Agra as a Smart City?
Under the Smart City project, we are working in Solid Waste Management and Traffic Management System. The State Government is working on 91 components of the Smart City of which 26 components will have a direct impact on the development of Agra.
Commissioner, Aligarh
Municipal Corporation
Tell us about the digital initiatives of the Aligarh Municipal Corporation.
The Aligarh Municipal Corporation aims to offer all its services online. We are trying to create tech-driven services so that residents can avail all the necessary services digitally.
We have made services like birth / death registration, property tax information, water tax, tax collection, etc online.
Under Swachhta project, Swacchta application has been deployed through which complaints, gestions and feedback related to sanitation, cleanliness, etc can be done online, and city residents are very actively using this application.
In this financial year, we have rolled out online platform for tax collection. This initiative has resulted in reducing the longe queues and crowded offices. Secondly, people are using Swacchta application to register complaints which has driven cleanliness project in a different way. Additionally, this has enabled authorities to monitor and address complaints which has brought one-of-its-kind revolutionary change in people’s life and the way they voice themselves about different issues.
Commissioner
Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation
What e-governance initiatives have been taken by the Moradabad Municipal Corporation?
We have digitised birth and death registrations. We have also adopted e-payments mode and bills are being generated online. The portal of Moradabad Municipal Corporation has links to many online services.
What initiatives have been taken to make Moradabad a Smart City?
Based on the guidelines of the Smart City, we had submitted a proposal to the Central Government. But unfortunately Moradabad was not shortlisted. Now, we are trying to work upon the mistakes due to which we were not selected.
What are the key focus areas of the Municipal Corporation?
Our major focus is on cleanliness. To promote cleanliness in the city, we would engage and seek maximum public participation.