1-Day Workshop With Means-Modes-Methods to Make Mangaluru- A Smart City for Sure
1-Day Workshop With Means-Modes-Methods to Make Mangaluru- A Smart City for Sure, organized by National Institute of Technology Karnataka (NITK)-Surathkal in association with The Institution of Engineers (India)-Mangaluru Local Centre, at Hotel Deepa Comforts, Mangaluru.
Mangaluru : 1-Day Workshop With Means-Modes-Methods to Make Mangaluru- A Smart City for Sure, organized by National Institute of Technology Karnataka (NITK)-Surathkal in association with The Institution of Engineers (India)-Mangaluru Local Centre, at Hotel Deepa Comforts, Mangaluru. The aim of the workshop was to provide a platform for deliberations on Smart City concepts and prospects. Innovative ideas and case studies were also presented and discussed by eminent speakers. The workshop was presented under the Themes- Sustainable Infrastructure; Management of Waste; Affordable Housing; Retro-fitting and Rehabilitation of Heritage Structures; and Trend setting tourism and Total Quality Management.
The workshop was inaugurated by lighting of the lamp by Mohammed Nazeer-Managing Director of Mangaluru Smart City Ltd; along with Prof Umamaheshwar Rao- Director, NITK; Prof Katta Venkataramana -Civil Engineering dept-NITK; Dr Sunil B M -Civil Engineering dept NITK; Padmashree Er. Girsh Bhardwaj; Prof K S Babunarayan; Er Arun Prabha- General Manager (Tech) Mangaluru Smart City Ltd; Er Balakrsihna-Retd Superintendent Engineer; among others. Er. Dharmaraj speaking on the provisions available to Smart City SPV, articulated how the MSCL can take advantage of the powers bestowed to the SPV and realize the Vision for Mangaluru both in the near term and long-term.
Arun Prabha KS General Manager (Tech), while giving a glimpse of all the projects of MSCL claimed that once the projects are realized on ground, in the next 28 to 24 months the landscape of the heart of city will change as Multi Level Car Park, Pedestrian Plaza, Improvements to Old Bus Stand, Interventions in Heritage buildings of Wenlock and DC office and retro fitment of Car Street are all going to be constructed. He also added that all the Smart Roads will be provided with all services including ducts for future requirement. He said with interventions in Kavoor Kere and Gujjara Kere will not only help in rain water harvesting but will also get converted to much needed leisure space. Explaining the components of the high impact waterfront project, he added that once the pilot stretch is completed the much needed capital will come in for the tourism development.
Er. Balakrishna urged the MSCL to adhere to high standards of quality and work ethics and said that well executed roads last a lifetime and cited the Agumbe Ghat roads and many other roads constructed by him as examples. Er. Balakrishna displayed latest photographs to substantiate his claims.
Ar. Venkatesh Pai advocated inclusion of human element in all Smart City projects with a particular emphasis on Cycle Tracks, Pedestrian First footpath and above all a Senior Citizen friendly approach, while Ar. Ashok Mendonca advocated a sustainability oriented construction. Enumerating steps taken by the BEADS where he heads the Dept. Of Architecture, Ar. Ashok said that instead of indulging in ripping of the laterite bed it was cut into blocks for use in building, open area used for growing pineapples and short varieties of plants to maintain the view, shaded stadium galleries with just steel pipes and creepers, LED flood light towers powered by Solar power etc. and all these sort of elements could be used in MSCL projects.
Er. Akshay of Master Plannery explained how a Puttur grown enterprise was able to work on a product like Concwood which is much better than the wood itself and that his firm has recognised this possibility which has far-reaching benefits was formulated and successfully commercialised by Er. SK Anand Kumar, Concwood is having several application which has resulted not only a cheaper product but also a very environmental friendly product.
Managing Director of Indian Hospital Dr. Yusuf Kumble speaking on Smart Health Care mooted an idea of smart health village in an area of about 150 acres anywhere close to city which could be converted into a family space where each member of the family had something or the other engagement available as the patient underwent palliative care. He also said that all the private hospitals in the city instead of focusing on every speciality should concentrate on only a few super specialities thereby become affordable as well as offer the citizen high end treatment which now is missing.
In the afternoon session, the Airport, GM (Civil) Gupta spoke on constructing Smart Airport and was very proud to announce that the Mangaluru Airport is already smart and in it’s class of 2.5 .million passengers per annum was adjudged as the best Airport in the Country. He said that the Airport administration is on a continual development course and is making more passenger friendly day by day. He also rested the fears that Mangaluru Airport was losing any traffic to nearby airports and said that the passenger traffic grew by 20% against the national average of 12%.
The “Bridge Man” Er. Girsh Bhardwaj made some very interesting and innovative proposals of suspended bridges across the buildings, across the street and also junctions for carrying services overhead and also put forth the idea that the very parabolic shape of the suspended bridges attract lot of people to the bridges and if illuminated it will be a big attraction, which the smart city could include in their proposals.
Ms. Elulia D’souza who manages a travel agency, speaking on tourism said that Mangaluru has huge tourism potential but UT remains unlocked dye to various reasons and she was of the opinion that if minimum expectation and infrastructural requirements were fulfilled both the domestic and international tourist numbers will jump substantially and if sustained efforts are made to say build capacities in hotels and the Mangalorean Cuisine is well marketed the smart moves could lead to Smart Tourism. A video specially made and send for the occasion by Dr. Crysil Aranha, (from USA), a super specialist in heritage structure was also played. Dr. Crysil is an alumnus of NITK.
Dr. Sunil spoke eloquently on Smart Solid waste management and insisted that a more concerted effort in all the process of SWM, Collection, Process and Disposal is more scientifically handled there was no way the situation would improve. He said that a process that works in one place may not work elsewhere due various physical factors and bio-degradation is the most suited method for Mangaluru but disposal has to be engineered and landfill should be more methodical.
Finally Dr. Babu Narayan summed up the proceedings and opined that despite being endowed with every single resource unless the citizens are alert no amount of engineering or planning would help.
The day long workshop was compered by Er. Anirudh Rao Katapadi and was well organised by NITK and the local chapter of Institution of Engineers.