Jammu, Sep 18: Turning Jammu’s urban problems into opportunities for innovation, the Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) has teamed up with IIT and IIM incubation centres and local organisation JK Economic Growth and Development Dialogue (LEAD) to launch the Jammu Smart City Hackathon.
JMC Commissioner Devansh Yadav said the initiative is designed to bring fresh ideas and technology into civic problem-solving by giving startups, young innovators, entrepreneurs and researchers an opportunity to work directly on challenges confronting the city.
“Our objective is to address six major urban challenges. These include issues related to drainage, sanitation, smart lighting for citizens, proper roads, amenities, and other day-to-day urban challenges…the youth registered with the incubators will be encouraged to develop innovative solutions to these problems,” Yadav told PTI here.
Yadav, who is also chief executive officer of Jammu smart city limited (JSCL), said the youth will also be provided funding and support to develop and demonstrate how their solutions can resolve these challenges.
Subsequently, the JMC and JSCL will work together to adopt the solutions developed through the hackathon, he said, adding the best identified solutions will be implemented on the ground within the next few months.
“So, for our youth who are looking for opportunities through startups, we want to provide them with an opportunity to take their ideas beyond the incubation stage and actually see their solutions being implemented on the ground,” the commissioner said.
He said the registration for the hackathon will remain open till September 25, following which the selected participants will proceed through the subsequent stages of development and evaluation.
Meanwhile, he said the JMC is developing a new green and recreational space behind Tawi Wonderland, at a site that was earlier used for waste dumping.
The new space will provide residents with an area for morning and evening visits, family gatherings, recreation and leisure activities, Yadav said, adding the project is expected to be completed within the next three months.
He said the development of the new green space alongside Tawi wonderland park could generate greater activity in the surrounding area, potentially giving a boost to real-estate and commercial activity and contributing to Jammu’s tourism ecosystem.
