India takes bumpy road to smartness
India, struggling with traffic congestion, air pollution, scarcity of piped water and inadequate sewage treatment, is embarking on a mission to build at least 100 so-called smart cities. Technology companies are stepping up to the mark.
In parts of the world already familiar with thermo-stats for remote control of room temperature and wrist devices for monitoring sleep cycles and blood pressure, such “smart” use of information technology is no longer remarkable. Informative dustbins and lamp posts are a future already in sight. But for those striving to make a decent living in an informal urban economy, the entire concept of a smart city, as defined by developed countries, remains a distant fantasy ...
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