Citizens Engagement in Dharamshala
Citizen participation and engagement is central to the smart city proposal development process in Dharamshala. The present Municipal Council has a population of approximately 23,000 persons and it is the endeavor of MC Dharamshala to integrate each of these ‘voices’. Extensive engagement and consultations were conducted with the different stakeholder groups in the city and the public at large through multiple channels and platforms for the purpose. These included:
- Smart City discussion forum on MC Dharamshala website
- Social media – Facebook, Twitter and YouTube
- Call for ideas through Logo design, branding and essay competitions
- Information kiosks at cultural and social events in the city
- Regular public meetings and Community level focused group discussions,
- Stakeholder workshops and meetings with various public agencies, city councilors, NGOs, local experts, the academia, hotelier and trade associations, taxi unions among others.
The engagement process also witnessed extensive enthusiasm and participation on the part of the citizens. The people of Dharamshala came up with written suggestions and detailed proposals for realizing the Smart City Vision. Numerous suggestions were received everyday throughout the proposal preparation process on the Smart City discussion forum of MC Dharamshala. In addition to the official Facebook page, the citizens voluntarily came up with a ‘Dharamshala Smart City’ page and community on the social networking site Facebook , which saw extensive activity and discussion by the members on how the city can realize its smart city vision. Competitions were floated for Logo designing and branding of the city. Students and youth contributed to the vision formulation through the essay competition on ‘Mere sapno ka shahar – Dharamshala’. All these activities resulted in more than two hundred ideas and proposals for the city and the Smart City Vision and Proposal for Dharamshala will endeavor to realize these.
Figure: Process of citizen engagement for Dharamshala Smart City Proposal
More than 3,000 members (14% population of the present municipal council) as on 28th October, 2015.
Figure: Snapshots of Citizens Engagement in Dharamshala
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In healy area main issue is Tranportation & Parking Space, narrow roads, absence of alternate and internal roads, incompletion of internals roads and the absence of an outer ring road above all.
public transport needs to be encouraged e-riksha and people should give up on using their vehicles and go for public transport which will not only decongest but also help in reducing pollution. Walking and cycling activities must be promoted and new tracks should be developed for enthusiasts.
That is great opportunity for Himachal Pradesh The Dharamshala is selected for 100 Smart cities in India.
Connectivity in-between the city should improve. There are buses but having autos/three-wheelers (or any other cheaper mode of transportation than taxis) will improve the connectivity to places where buses are not the frequent. This would help people to commute easily and more efficiently.
Which all are a important issues , hence By conserving our natural bounty, preserving our flora and fauna, our ethnicity and tradition we have to make our Dharamshala the “Real Smart City”, which the world will replicate.
Tourism: Being one of the oldest municipal councils (1867) Dharamshala has a heritage tag, which demands to be revived and preserved. The entire facet of the city has to be preserved. The tourism sector needs a lot of work to be done upon.Health: The key issues are pollution from solid waste, open defecation, compromised water supply and, overflowing sewerage.
The proposals have main impetus on the following issues
Transportation: The main issues are the lack of parking spaces, narrow roads, absence of alternate and internal roads, incompletion of internals roads and the absence of an outer ring road above all.
Tourism: Being one of the oldest municipal councils (1867) Dharamshala has a heritage tag, which demands to be revived and preserved. The entire facet of the city has to be preserved. The tourism sector needs a lot of work to be done upon.