INTRODUCTION

The poor were the hardest hit. Those living in slums adjacent to the plant had no warning or means of seeking protection. The railway station and surrounding area were also hit hard, with those sleeping on the platforms and waiting for trains asphyxiating (Ibid., xv). In the aftermath of the tragedy, victims came forward demanding compensation for their losses, and activists called for the CEO of Union Carbide to be charged with homicide. Anger and controversy swirled as the government developed criteria for determining if a victim’s claim was “gas-related” or classed as “temporary.” Then, in 1991, Union Carbide settled outside of court (Ibid., xviii). Commentators of the tragedy have framed the disaster as a side effect of globalization, while activists argue that the disaster demonstrates how the lives of those in poor countries are worth less than those in wealthier countries. Bhopal continues to deal with the aftermath of the tragedy, as the gas caused severe, long term health effects and the plant contaminated the soil and water in the immediate vicinity. While activists continue to fight for government compensation, many residents of Bhopal and government officials wish to put the tragedy behind them.

BHOPAL TODAY

Today, Bhopal is the capital city of Madhya Pradesh, the central and largest state in India by area. As of the 2011 Census, the City of Bhopal’s population numbered 1,798,218 with an area of 285.88 square kilometers (Census of India, 26). Economically, Bhopal is dependent on agriculture, followed by the service sector and civil service. The literacy rate in Bhopal, 73.4%, is lower than the district, 80.4%, and only 35.1% of the population is working. Of those employed, only 16.3% of the female population are employed, compared to 19.6% female employment in the district (Ibid., 15 and 28). While Bhopal falls behind in the district in terms of literacy and female employment, Hindu and Mughal influences and subsequent waves of migrants make the city a historically and culturally rich melting pot of traditions and multiculturalism. .

smart city mission Bhopal

In 2015, the Government of India launched the Smart Cities Mission. Over the next five years, a total of 100 cities would be chosen, and Bhopal became one of the first 20 “lighthouse” cities (Chakrabarty, 2018, 2). While the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) offers no clear definition of what a “smart city” is, the objective of the Smart Cities Mission is “to promote cities that provide core infrastructure and give a decent quality of life to its citizens, a clean and sustainable environment and application of ‘smart solutions’(MoUD, 2015, 5)” while emphasizing inclusion, sustainability, and replicability. The strategy for achieving this is through retrofitting, redevelopment, and greenfield development. As such, each city chosen develops an Area Based Development (ABD) plan and a PanCity Development plan. (Ibid., 8). Bhopal’s Smart City development is being implemented by the Bhopal Smart City Development Corporation Limited (BSCDCL), a semi-public company jointly owned by the Government of Madhya Pradesh and incorporated solely for the implementation of the Smart City Project in Bhopal. BSCDCL is equally managed by Madhya Pradesh Urban Development Company Limited (MPUDCL) and Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC). The BSCDCL “envisions transforming the City of Lakes, tradition and heritage into a leading destination for smart, connected and ecofriendly communities focused on education, research, entrepreneurship and tourism (BSCDCL, 2018).” In accordance with the national level Smart Cities Mission, Bhopal has developed an ABD plan and a Pan-City Development plan. The ABD development plan has identified a site in Tatya Tope (TT) Nagar on 342 acres of government land. The Pan-City Development plan incorporates the city-wide improvements related to infrastructure, citizen engagement, transit, and citizen well-being. Projects include a Bhopal Smart App, smart poles, a Control and Command Centre and Incubator Centre, smart streets, heritage conservation, designated bike lanes and bike sharing, smart transit, Housing for All, and the Bhopal Metro Rail Project (Ibid.) The focus is on improving connectivity, efficiency in service provision, and government transparency and citizen engagement.

Source : Smart city Bhopal 1.3. Smart City Bhopal / Area Based Development Project Proposal