Thiruvananthapuram Outshines Delhi, Prepares To Get Smarter

As per the annual survey by Janaagraha, a Bengaluru-based organisation, Thiruvananthapuram is ranked as one of the best cities for the second year in a row. Annual Survey of India's City-Systems (ASICS) 2016 has evaluated 21 major cities from 18 states across the nation. The annual survey is the fourth edition and does not include states from the northeast.

Parameters that governed the survey

The cities covered in the survey were evaluated on different parameters. These parameters include taxation, local governance models, city administration, political participation of citizens and financial capacity of cities among others.

Results of the survey

Thiruvananthapuram or Thiruvananthapuram left Delhi behind. Pune did fairly well holding the second position. Kolkata, on the other hand, took the third position. Bengaluru (16) , Jaipur (20) and Chandigarh (21) are some of the cities that are ranked low in the list.  

What these rankings reflect

A good rank in the ASICS survey is a reflection that the city has good infrastructure, providing quality life to the citizens in the mid and long term.

Low scores by the Indian cities are just an indicative of the fact that the cities need to strengthen the system. The city will work to create different laws, policies and institutions.

Reasons for Thiruvananthapuram's success

The city is the capital of Kerala and enjoys attention by around 80 per cent of the software experts from Kerala. It is also an IT hub plus boasts prominent government offices in Thiruvananthapuram including names such as state and central government offices in Thiruvananthapuram such as ISRO, College of Engineering Thiruvananthapuram, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre and Central Tuber Crops Research Institute. The establishment of the Technopark and IT Park propelled the image of Thiruvananthapuram as an IT centre. Some of the companies in the IT Park includes names such as Capgemini, TCS, ITC Infotech and Infosys.

The city assures good rental returns as working professionals and youth move to the city for employment opportunities. Some of the happening areas in Thiruvananthapuram are Kazhakkoottam, Sreekariyam and Ambalamukku.

iDeCK, a joint collaboration of the government of Karnataka (GoK) , Infrastructure Development Finance Company Ltd (IDFC) and Housing Development Finance Corporation Ltd (HDFC) , is about to prepare Thiruvananthapuram's smart city plan.

The government allotted land for the development of Thiruvananthapuram's airport. Almost after two years, in November 2016, the district administration has finally started with the land acquisition proceedings. Such upcoming infrastructural developments further strengthen the faith of investors and buyers.

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