Magarpatta- India's first Smart City, and upcoming Dholera Metro City , what are they?

Magarpatta Smart City

I live in Himachal Pradesh, so was not aware that Magarpatta has been functioning as India's first smart city since more than 6 years. 12 towers in the cybercity houses offices of number of international companies.

The place originally was a land owned by Magar family. This video documentary was DW channel covers the interview with the family owner. He is happy because he is made the shareholder of company and thus shares the profits from project. The managung director of the project also talks same thing.

The city is privately run and governed by a company who look afters every thing including gated and camera security and also the education and recreation. The girl jn the video talks about walking alone in night at 2:00 AM to her home without any fear. Then there is another girl who thinks that there is too much security and she can't even take her friends into her house.

Then there are poors living outside the gates of the city who work in the city as the rikshapullers or chat-walah. Over all the project is considered a big success, but the critics say that the city is only for rich elites and others can't afford to live in there.

Dholera Metro City

Magarpatta is considered a success, but will Dholera Metro City get same fame? In the video it is shown that the villagers from Dholera, who are the real land owners, do not like the idea of selling their lands.

They are offered money for 50% of the land and 50% land at some other places. But the two men in the video shows us the new land very near to the coast, which is saturated and heavily salinated. Definitely not good for farming the cotton, which they do in their usual lands.

So it is not just Magarpatta and Dholera, there are 100s of others to be built in India. What do you think about this whole concept? For me, I think good and bad are associated with every project, one has to find a middle and best possible way, but with honesty, specially farmers should not be harmed.