The Nashik Smart City Mission has formally concluded, prompting the state government to instruct the Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) to finalize all pending projects valued at approximately Rs 700 crore. These include critical infrastructure works essential for the Simhastha Kumbh Mela scheduled for 2027.
The directive follows the central government's decision not to extend the Smart City Mission beyond December 2025. Consequently, the state's urban development department has relieved the chairperson, directors, CEO, and staff of the Smart City Development Corporation, transferring full authority to the NMC.
Incomplete Projects Linked to Kumbh Preparations
Two major projects tied to Kumbh preparations remain unfinished. The first involves an integrated CCTV surveillance system and other smart elements, estimated at Rs 371 crore. The second is the City Network Backbone project, which entails laying optical fibre cable (OFC) lines costing around Rs 128 crore.
Both projects were originally assigned to the Nashik Municipal Smart City Development Corporation Ltd (NMSCDCL) by the Nashik–Trimbakeshwar Kumbh Mela Authority (NTKMA). Now, the NMC is responsible for their completion.
Government Resolution and Powers
A Government Resolution (GR) issued by the urban development department has vested all powers of the Smart City corporation with NMC commissioner Manisha Khatri, who also holds the additional charge as chairperson and CEO of the Smart City entity. The GR mandates the civic body to immediately take over execution of all incomplete projects.
The state government has also instructed the NMC to begin transferring all assets and properties of the Smart City corporation to the municipal corporation without delay.
Staff Transition and Compliance
As part of the transition, Smart City staff are being relieved, and their ongoing work will be reassigned to NMC officials. The civic administration must submit a compliance report to the state government by April 30. Once asset transfer is complete, the Smart City CEO will initiate the formal closure of the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) established under the Companies Act for mission implementation.
The pending project portfolio includes installation of around 4,000 CCTV cameras across the city, laying more than 300 km of OFC lines, water treatment plant capacity expansion, and other core urban infrastructure projects. Many of these are linked to crowd management, security, and service delivery during the Kumbh Mela.
Challenges Ahead
With less than a year left for large-scale Kumbh infrastructure to be tested on the ground, the NMC now bears full responsibility for delivering projects that were delayed under the Smart City framework. The Smart City office has 26 employees, including six engineers, who are expected to be relieved within two to three days after completing procedural formalities.
Repeated attempts to contact NMSCDCL CEO Sumant More for comment were unsuccessful.
