Authored by Rachika A Sahay, Partner along with Aakash
Sharma, Associate, HSA Advocates
The Smart Cities Mission was launched by the government in June
2015 with a goal to develop 100 smart cities by 2020 (the deadline
has been revised to 2023 now). Though a "smart city" is
not defined under the mission statement and guidelines, it includes
certain core infrastructure elements essential for a smart
city.
It focuses on e-governance, information technology connectivity
and digitalization. It envisages rapid exchange of information
between citizens, government bodies and third-party service
providers.
The computing infrastructure, which includes city data centres,
gives rise to privacy concerns and the risk of increased
surveillance under the guise of promoting safety. Most smart city
proposals received by the government under the mission include
extensive installation of closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras
across cities.
