But if the polls have large enough relevant sample, then the feedback could have really helped develop priorities and plans for cities. But looking at the polls, it seems the authorities have just wasted a great opportunity.
This is why.
One, the way questions have been asked by some city authorizes leaves much to be desired. How many citizens would know what a “multi-modal integrated transport system” is. Was any awareness campaign done—online and offline? Online campaigns could have been done by the central authorities themselves.
Two, some authorizes have asked multiple similar sounding questions in multiple polls. Take Warrangal. One poll asks: Which of projects we should consider as high priority to make Warangal as a Smart City? In another, the question is: Which of the following options according to you need high priority attention to transform Warangal in a Smart City? While waste management gets a thumb up as top priority in both, the next priorities are different in different polls. In one, corridor improvement and sewerage system get the votes; in the other, renewable energy and transparency that people have chosen as the next priorities after waste management. So, what should go to the planners as people’s voice?
Three, despite the ideas and choices emerging from a single agenda—circulated by the centre—most authorities have their own worded questions. Uniformity may not be a stated objective, but any researcher knows how dependent the responses are on the way the questions are worded. Some have asked for selecting simply “priorities”, some “features”, some “fields”, some “activities” and some even “projects”.
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