50% of smart cities seek extension of project deadline

KOHIMA — Ahead of the June deadline for the completion of the Smart Cities Mission, about 50% of the smart cities across the country, including Kohima, have sought extension from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) to complete the projects.

This was informed by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Kohima Smart City Development Limited (KSCDL), K Theunuo to a section of journalists on Monday. 

K Theunuo said the KSDCL had also written to the state government to extend the deadline by up to nine months (July 2023 till March 2024).

He maintained that a video conference was held with the joint secretary, MoHUA, Kunal Kumar recently, who is also the Mission Director of Smart Cities Mission.

Kumar had hinted that the project is likely to be extended by six months, but it is still not certain, he said.

Kohima local ground and city centre

Meanwhile, the CEO informed that the structure for the Kohima local ground and Kohima city centre will not be RCC but pre-engineered, and all the components were already ordered and currently in the process of manufacturing.

He maintained that once the civil works (foundations) are completed, the components will be brought and fit in, adding that the construction will not take time.

Yet, he added that the components could not be ordered on time because the Union Ministry released the funds in November last year, but the state government could release it only in March 2023, delayed by four months.

Advance payments were told to have been made to the contractors and subsequently, the components were ordered and are expected to reach within this month.

The CEO said the local ground is expected to be completed by December this year. Around 30% of the ground is completed till date but construction of the city centre, which will house facilities such as hotels, commercial and sports complex and multi-level car parking (MLCP), may go on till March next year.

According to the department of Municipal Affairs, Annual Administrative report 2022-23, the proposed site of the Kohima local ground is 17,493 sq.m (5.29 acres approx.), with an objective to create a planned multi-purpose ground comprising a stadium, commercial and parking space with emphasis on overall development of the identified area.

The city centre is spread across an area of 21,408.69 sq. m (5.29 acres approx).

ATMS not feasible for Kohima

The CEO, meanwhile, observed that the Adaptive Traffic Management System (ATMS) is “not feasible”. The statement comes amid criticism of the non-functional facility installed at various traffic points in Kohima.

He said the ATMS is used for four or three lanes and cannot be used for two lane roads, and as such some ATMS installed in parts of the city had already been removed as it doesn’t work.

The official pointed out that the ATMS at TCP near War Cemetery and PHQ junctions were tested with volunteers several times but could not be implemented successfully.

Further, he informed that the Integrated Control and Command Centre (ICCC) is used for traffic monitoring during the VIP visits. He added that the contractor will maintain the ICCC for up to five years.

Battle Tank area

The project at Battle Tank area, which is under construction, is also expected to be completed by September. The area will be developed as a mixed-use development comprising a digital library, food court, shops, open air gym, children’s park and other facilities, he informed.

Multi-level car parking completed

The multi-level parking area at Old NST and Old Medical Directorate with parking capacity of 105 (approx.) cars and 151 (approx.) cars respectively have been completed and await inauguration, he added. smart cities

Also read: Kohima Smart City Mission: 20 out of 32 projects completed