After centurion town Pasighat, the capital city Itanagar has been included in the list of smart cities by the Ministry of Urban Development, Govt of India. Under the said scheme, each city will get Rs 500 crore from the Centre for implementing various projects. This fund is much needed to improve the condition of capital complex. At present the citizens of capital region is struggling for basic amenities. There is no proper drainage system which leads to choking of drain during monsoon season. The haphazard construction coupled with massive encroachment of govt land has given ugly look to the capital city.
In the face of all these, the inclusion of Itanagar under smart city project definitely gives ray of hope to the beleaguered denizens. However, going by the past experience the misuse of fund cannot be ruled out. Already Itanagar Municipal Council is battling several allegations of nepotism and corrupt practices. Therefore government of India will have to take extra caution while implementing the smart city project. Strict monitoring will have to be done to ensure proper utilization of the fund. The citizens of capital complex also should act as watchdog and keep an eye on the activities of IMC and district administration. Let us all rejoice the tag of smart city for now and hope that it changes Itanagar for better in years to come.