Smart city conclave in Bhopal: Foreign experts bat for public transport

A smart city doesn’t mean high-tech one but a compact, connected and coordinated city where emphasis would be more on use of public transport, foreign urban governance experts said on Thursday.

Updated on: Aug 21, 2015, 18:26:38 IST

Hindustan Times | By Shruti Tomar, Bhopal

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A smart city doesn’t mean high-tech one but a compact, connected and coordinated city where emphasis would be more on use of public transport, foreign urban governance experts said on Thursday.

World Resource Institute vice-president Lawrence MacDonald (left) and CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan open the Smart City Conclave in Bhopal. (Bidesh Manna)

At the Smart City Conclave here, MP Urban Infrastructure Investment Programme team leader Richard Slater highlighted the importance of mass rapid transit system in smart cities.

“In the smart city project, the emphasis will be more on increasing mass rapid transport system so that we can save energy and environment. In England, there is no concept of red beacon light over car. VIPs also travel in metro and buses there,” he said.

“As per a survey, the average vehicular speed in Indore is 16 km/hr while it is 30 km/hr in the UK. More usage of public transport system will increase the speed of vehicles and also save valuable time,” Slater added.

Bhopal could be developed as a hub for electrical part manufacturing as BHEL and other small and medium industries are here, he suggested.

World Resource Institute vice- president (communication) Lawrence MacDonald also spoke about the importance of public transport system in new age cities.

“India is a developing country where only 30% of its population lives in urban area. The use of public transport system is a major factor in the development of Indian cities otherwise people will have to live a suffocated life like the Chinese. Beijing is a city which has not developed for pedestrians and residents but for cars. Such development has not only increased pollution but is also responsible for many problems,” MacDonald said.

When asked about bus rapid transit system, Macdonald said, “It is a very good concept not only for cities of India but for foreign too. Those who criticized BRTS are not its users but car and bike owners.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shruti Tomar
I have spent over a decade chronicling Madhya Pradesh’s political and social landscape, covering politics, investigative journalism, crime, human interest, and government policy, blending sharp insight with ground‑level depth. I have closely tracked three assembly elections, three Lok Sabha elections, leadership transitions in MP while exposing governance lapses, tender irregularities, and flawed policy rollouts. My reports have revealed gaps in the Cheetah project, irregularities in medical education, rigging in recruitment exams, and loopholes in policy implementation. In crime reporting, I have moved beyond FIRs to map systemic patterns — from organised crime networks and gender‑based violence to custodial accountability — balancing urgency with sensitivity. My journalism is defined by a commitment to human interest. I have profiled the marginalised Bancchda community, documented atrocities against tribal groups, and highlighted efforts to preserve their culture through heritage liquor and revival of spiritual practices. I have reported on farmers struggling with failed MSP promises, giving voice to those often reduced to statistics in policy files. Passionate about field reporting, I have reported on rampant sand mining in Chambal and Narmada, pharmaceutical companies supplying medicines under altered names, the dire condition of schools and colleges, the plight of commercial sex workers, and skewed sex ratios in specific districts. Beyond deadlines, and as HT’s state correspondent and assistant editor in Madhya Pradesh, I engage with ministers, farmers, students, and activists, believing the best policy stories begin with a single human voice. A postgraduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, I also hold a diploma in sports journalism.Read More

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