New Life for Old Cities

From riverfront walkways to real-time traffic updates, the twin capitals in Jammu and Kashmir are reinventing what it means to be a city in India—smarter, greener, and built for people.

- Mohammad Hanief

Walk along the Jhelum riverfront in Srinagar these days and you'll notice something different. Maybe it’s the way the walkway lights up at night. Maybe it's the tidy benches or the fact that the footpath doesn’t abruptly disappear. Either way, it feels new. And that’s because it is.

For the last few years, Srinagar and Jammu—Jammu and Kashmir’s summer and winter capitals—have been reshaping themselves. Part of India’s Smart Cities Mission, both cities are moving beyond plans and promises. They're building, upgrading, and modernizing in ways that are starting to show.

Remember when city offices meant endless paper trails? Now, you can get a birth certificate or pay property tax online. Traffic used to be a guessing game. These days, digital boards at bus stops in Jammu tell you exactly when the next bus will arrive. In Srinagar, smart parking systems are making it easier to find a spot, especially in crowded areas like Lal Chowk.

Launched in 2015, the Smart Cities Mission set out to help 100 cities across India upgrade their infrastructure and services using technology and sustainable planning.

Srinagar and Jammu joined the list in 2017. Eight years later, the changes are becoming real. The mission wasn't just about roads and lights. It's about making cities easier to live in, for everyone.