DA Editorial Desk| Dhruba Deka
Ask any resident of Agartala about the city’s problems and the answers come without hesitation: jammed crossings, drains that overflow after an hour of rain, garbage heaped at street corners, and footpaths taken over by vendors and parked vehicles. Agartala was selected under the national Smart Cities Mission and has seen new projects in recent years, from road upgrades to public spaces and digital systems. Yet the real measure of a smart city is not the number of projects launched but whether ordinary life becomes easier. On that test, the capital still has a long way to go.
Traffic is the most visible strain. The city’s core was shaped long before mass vehicle ownership, and its roads are narrow for today’s mix of two-wheelers, autorickshaws, cars and buses. Unplanned parking, weak lane discipline and limited public transport make congestion worse. Footpaths, where they exist, are often unusable, forcing pedestrians, including schoolchildren and the elderly, onto the carriageway. A city that does not let people walk safely cannot call itself modern.
The cost of this congestion is not only lost time. Idling vehicles add to air pollution, delay ambulances and fire engines, and raise the risk of accidents, particularly for two-wheeler riders and pedestrians. Small traders in crowded market areas lose customers who cannot park or move easily, while daily commuters, students and office-goers spend hours stuck on routes that should take minutes. These hidden costs rarely appear in project reports, but residents pay them every single day.
Drainage and waterlogging come next. Every heavy shower exposes the same weaknesses: clogged drains, encroached channels and low-lying neighbourhoods where water refuses to recede. The problem is not only engineering but discipline. Plastic thrown into drains, construction debris left on roadsides and building over natural water paths turn manageable rainfall into a citywide disruption. Desilting done in a hurry just before the monsoon is no substitute for maintenance throughout the year.
Solid waste is the third pressure point. Collection has improved in parts of the city, but segregation at source remains patchy, and the disposal site on the outskirts is a constant worry for nearby residents. Without strong systems for composting, recycling and scientific landfill management, the volume of waste will only grow alongside the population.
Citizens, too, have a role. Dumping waste in open spaces, ignoring traffic rules, encroaching on public land and resisting segregation all undercut what the administration attempts. Civic sense cannot be legislated into existence, but it can be nurtured through schools, neighbourhood groups and consistent, fair enforcement that treats everyone alike, rich or poor.
None of this is unique to Agartala. Small and mid-sized cities across India face the same stress as they grow faster than their planning. But a compact capital still has an advantage: it can choose a better path before its problems harden.
Funding and capacity matter as much as intent. Urban bodies need trained engineers, planners and sanitation staff, along with predictable budgets for maintenance, not just for new construction. A road that is built but never maintained soon becomes tomorrow’s complaint.
What would that path look like? On mobility, the city needs reliable, affordable public transport with clear routes and timings, designated and enforced parking zones, protected footpaths and safe cycling lanes where possible. Traffic management should rely on working signals and trained personnel rather than ad hoc arrangements. On drainage, authorities should prepare a city-wide drainage map, identify encroachments and publish a calendar for year-round cleaning, with public reporting of what has been done. On waste, door-to-door collection should be strengthened, segregation encouraged through a mix of incentives and penalties, and community composting and recycling groups supported, including informal waste workers, who deserve dignity and fair pay.
Planning must also be participatory. Residents’ associations, traders, students and civil society groups know the city’s weak spots better than any dashboard. Regular ward-level consultations and a simple, responsive grievance system would make the administration more accountable. Transparency about project costs, timelines and outcomes should be routine, not exceptional.
Growth should also be planned around green spaces and water bodies. Lakes and open areas that cool the city and absorb rainwater are not idle land; they are infrastructure. Protecting them is far cheaper than repairing the damage once they are gone. Trees along roads, small neighbourhood parks and restored ponds also improve air quality and public health, giving residents places to rest and gather in a growing city.
A smart city is one where a child can walk to school safely, where a shower does not paralyse the roads, and where a citizen’s complaint receives an answer. Agartala can get there, but it will take patience, planning and a willingness to measure success by lived experience rather than launch ceremonies.