The dream of Nagpur becoming a Smart City, first envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2016 through his ambitious Smart City Mission (SCM), seems to have been just that, a pipe dream. The project that was originally supposed to be completed in 2021 still remains unfinished, with seven works still pending. This was stated by Manohar Lal, Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs, in a written reply to Dr Shrikant Shinde in the Lok Sabha on December 1.

 

His reply reaffirmed that all works under the Smart City Mission must be completed within their sanctioned timelines and in any case not later than December 2025. The city ranks among highest in pending works among all smart cities in the state, while Pune and Solapur have completed all their works under the project. Nagpur, selected in 2016 under the Centre’s flagship scheme, has witnessed repeated deadline extensions. Initially scheduled for completion by June 2021, the timeline was extended to June 2023, then June 2024, and finally to December 2025. Of the 47 projects implemented through the Nagpur Smart and Sustainable City Development Corporation Limited (NSSCDCL), seven remain incomplete as the agency prepares to shut operations and transfer all assets to the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) by December 31, 2025. The answer also mention that 40 projects have been completed at a cost of Rs 1768 crore, but their effectiveness does not pass the eye test.

 

This has raised serious question on the efficiency of the executing agency of the project. The works were undertaken in various sectors under the project such as economic infrastructure, environment, smart energy, smart governance, smart mobility, social infrastructure, vibrant public spaces, and Water, Sanitation, Hygiene (WASH). The mission was divided into two major components. The Rs 524-crore Smart and Safe City Project introduced 17 technology-driven systems including citywide CCTV surveillance, an integrated command-and-control centre, and traffic monitoring tools. Similarly, a Rs 741.62-crore area-based development (ABD) plan sought to redevelop 1,743 acres across Pardi, Bharatwada, Bhandewadi, and Punapur in East Nagpur. Funding was strengthened further when Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis sanctioned Rs 400 crore for the Smart and Safe City component, supplemented by Rs 124 crore from the central Smart Cities fund. Six of the seven pending projects are road works presently in progress. Meanwhile, handover of 39 completed projects has begun.

 

While the CCTV system has proven effective in crime detection, traffic enforcement and flood monitoring, other assets show signs of systemic failure. Sixty-five smart kiosks installed in 2018 for integrated citizen services have remained non-functional due to the absence of back end departmental integration, leaving expensive infrastructure idle. Once the complete handover is effected, NMC will assume full responsibility for operation, maintenance, and monetisation of Smart City assets. A senior NMC official stated that the remaining pending works would be completed by mid-January 2025, though the civic body continues to face manpower shortages and financial strain. Without disciplined planning and sustained management, experts caution that several high-value assets risk going the same way as the defunct kiosks.