Initiative to make J&K cities a hub of modern infra edifice

The government of Jammu and Kashmir, in its effort to make cities in the UT hubs of the modern infrastructural edifice to improve quality of life, has initially taken up Jammu and Srinagar cities for development as smart cities under the Smart City Mission (SCM). Jammu's vision is to become a sustainable and economically vibrant city by leveraging its heritage and location, with a focus on tourism, quality of life, and trade. The three main action areas that have been identified to make the vision a reality are promoting Jammu's identity, creating a sustainable and liveable Jammu, and promoting inclusion. In addition, multi-level parking at city chowk, renovation of MA stadium, construction of musical fountain at Bagh e Bahu, LED street lighting, multi-level parking at bus-stand, 100-bed emergency block at GMC-Jammu, and the Jammu ropeway project are some notable smart city projects completed in Jammu city so far. The Smart City Mission (SCM) was launched in India to boost economic growth and improve people's quality of life by facilitating local area development and harnessing technology that results in smart outcomes. Social infrastructure, physical infrastructure, institutional infrastructure including governance, and economic infrastructure are the four main pillars of the smart city mission. Cities are primarily places where people congregate; places where people live, meet, exchange ideas, earn a living, access education, health, and other services, and live a high-quality life. Cities should work for their people because people are at their heart. With each passing day, cities that work for their citizens will become better versions of themselves. These reasons would be different, in large part for different cities and different groups of people, and thus could not be generalised. Some cities attract people because of the opportunities for markets and manufacturing that exist there, while others do so because of the greatness of their cultures or their cosmopolitan vibes, while still others do so because of their ability to provide better education and health facilities, or a combination of factors. Image Source Also read: Smart Cities tenders 6,721 projects worth Rs 1,88,507 crore