Vol. 13 No. 2 (2025)
Journal Space and Culture, India

Research

A Study Exploring the Status of Governance of Varanasi Smart City

Published 2025-09-25

  • Manvi Jain
    • ,
  • Srabani Sanyal

Manvi Jain
PhD Scholar, Department of Geography, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India

Srabani Sanyal
Professor, Department of Geography, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221005, India

Abstract

The fast-evolving pace of urbanisation across the world has effectively enveloped the concept of smart cities. The emergence of smart cities has introduced a more efficient way of living in urban areas, facilitating the most necessary requirements with utmost ease. One such smart city in India is Varanasi, which has been investigated in this study to understand the institutional component of liveability standards. Governance is the backbone of smart city development, which needs to be examined to understand the gap between the top-rated and least-rated smart cities. Nine selected indicators have been incorporated to evaluate the Governance Index using the Ministry of Urban Development’s Methodological Framework. For this, a total of 400 primary respondents were surveyed proportionally across the eight municipal zones and four social strata, using a 5-point Likert scale questionnaire. Citizen perception has been assessed using one-way ANOVA with post-hoc analysis providing a spatial and social evaluation of governance effectiveness. Substantial zone-based and strata-based correlations highlight political stability as the best-performing indicator, with Sarnath emerging as the most well-governed zone. In addition, the upper strata exhibit better performance compared to the others. The tax collection shows a positive trend, with almost half of the capital expenditure based on spending. The city also needs to increase awareness of online citizen services; the grievance redressal process requires improvement, with a significantly shorter turnaround time. Additionally, the effectiveness level needs to be increased, along with higher accountability levels and lower corruption levels. The study provides key insights into governance efficiency in Varanasi, offering a comprehensive perspective for policymakers to enhance urban liveability.

Keywords

Liveability, Governance, Citizen Perception, Urbanism, ANOVA, Varanasi, India

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Author Biography

Manvi Jain

Ms Manvi Jain holds a Master’s degree in Geography. Her research interests include urban liveability, sustainable cities and communities, with skills in statistical analysis and mapping. Until now, she has attended seven national and international seminars, conferences and workshops. Her recent publications are: 
Manvi Jain & Srabani Sanyal. (2023). Reshaping cities from smart to liveable: A taxonomy of measures. National Geographical Journal of India, 69(3), 202-213. https://www.ngji.in/index.php/ngji/article/view/818 
Manvi Jain. (2024). From Perception to Action: How Behavioral Change Influences Policy Implementation Success. IJFMR, 6(6). https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2024.v06i06.32117

Srabani Sanyal

Professor Srabani Sanyal joined the Department of Geography at Banaras Hindu University as a Lecturer in 2004. Her topic of research was “Solid Waste Disposal Problems and Management: A Geographical Study of Kolkata City”. Her major fields of interest are Applied Geography, Urban Studies and Environmental Studies. She has the distinction of publishing more than 50 research papers and two books on environmental issues, health, and healthcare. She has contributed six chapters in edited books. She has also attended more than 70 National and International Seminars and Conferences. Professor Sanyal, has supervised nine PhD scholars, and presently, eight research scholars are working under her supervision. She is a life member of the National Geographical Society of India, Deccan Geographical Society, North East India Geographical  Society, The Eastern Geographical Society, The Association of North India Geographers, The Geographical Society of India and others. Besides, she is the Chief Editor of the National Geographical Journal of India, Varanasi. Two of her recent publications are:
Kushwaha, P., Sanyal, S. and Verma, S (2025). Wetland ecosystem services and their spatial scales of benefit in an urban environment: A case study of Varanasi, India, Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management, Oxford Academic, pp.1-14. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/15513793

Modak, S., & Sanyal, S. (2024). Road network structure of Varanasi city based on connectivity and spatial pattern. Geojournal, 89(25). https://link.springer.com/journal/10708

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