Smart City to Oversee Pune’s Advanced Traffic Signals with Rs 11 Crore Annual Budget

Pune, 29th November 2024: The administration of the Smart City Company has expressed its willingness to take on the responsibility of maintaining and managing the Adaptive Traffic Management System (ATMS) signals in Pune for the next five years. A letter formalizing this proposal has been sent to the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC). The final decision will be made during the upcoming meeting of the Smart City Company’s Board of Directors, according to Prithviraj B.P., Additional Commissioner of the PMC.

The central government has announced plans to phase out the Smart City project, leading to concerns about the future of initiatives launched under its umbrella. However, the government recently extended the deadline for the project to March 2025, giving temporary relief to ongoing efforts.

One major concern was the maintenance of the ATMS signal system, a critical project aimed at easing Pune’s traffic congestion. Initially, there were discussions to transfer the system to the city’s traffic police, but the police declined the responsibility. This raised the possibility of the PMC taking charge of the system.

Now, with the Smart City Company stepping forward to manage the ATMS for five more years, uncertainty over its future has been resolved.

The ATMS system has been designed to optimize traffic flow by monitoring vehicle movement and speed at 124 key intersections across Pune. The state-of-the-art system was established at a cost of ₹102 crore. Maintenance and repair costs for the system amount to ₹11 crore annually, which the municipal corporation will pay to the Smart City Company for continued upkeep.

Recently, the Pune Police Commissionerate issued a letter suggesting that the company maintaining the ATMS should seek a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the police before receiving payments from the PMC. However, Additional Commissioner Prithviraj B.P. clarified that no such NOC is necessary. “This agreement is solely between the municipal corporation and the Smart City Company, and there is no requirement for a police certificate,” he stated.