There are plans to develop riverfront on the lines of Sabarmati Riverfront Development in Gujarat. Nashik is known for its religious places and the Goda project will certainly add value to the tourism sector in the city, says Prakash Thavil, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Nashik Municipal Smart City Development Corporation Limited (NMSCDCL), in conversation with Harshal Desai of Elets News Network (ENN).

What is your vision for Smart City Nashik?
As the CEO of NMSCDCL, I am determined to meet the expectations of both the State and Central Governments and develop Nashik as the next smart destination. Nashik has been selected for the Smart Cities Mission after tremendous contributions from different stakeholders led by Nashik Municipal Corporation, and keeping the vision in mind, we will make all possible efforts to implement the best available technologies and solutions towards making Nashik Smart.

What progress has been made in various Smart City projects?
We have speeded up the work and are going to float the tenders for Smart Road, Street Lighting, Smart Parking, components pertaining to IT and e-governance and others. A new office dedicated for Smart City Cell is under construction at Panchavati Divisional Office of Nashik Municipal Corporation.
Water Management is one of the focus areas for Nashik. Besides, Goda Project is perhaps the most ambitious project which will be undertaken. There are plans to develop riverfront on the lines of Sabarmati Riverfront Development in Gujarat. Nashik is known for its religious places and the Goda project will certainly add value to the tourism sector in the city.

What is the status of the Smart Road project?
We are about to float the tender for developing a stretch of 1.1 km as Smart Road from Ashok Stambh to Trimbak Naka. We have already discussed the Detailed Project Report (DPR) which has been prepared by KPMG Advisory Services Private Limited, our consultant for Smart City.

Nashik’s Guardian Minister Girish Mahajan spoke about the Goda project in his address at the Smart City Summit, Nashik. What progress has been made so far in this project?
As the Minister said, Goda Project is one of the most ambitious projects we will undertake in our journey. There are several components of this project including river cleaning, building pedestrian bridges, automated mechanical gates, and beautification of the entire area. We are soon going to float the tender for this project.

What is the significance of Smart City Summit, Nashik that was organised by the corporation and NMSCDCL?
We wanted to invite people from other Smart Cities to understand how the Smart Cities programme is being implemented in other regions. The conference created a knowledge sharing platform where experts from different domain participated and shared their
opinions. Further, we could also invite several private organisations to understand their offerings towards the development of
Smart Cities. We are happy that with the support of Elets Technomedia Pvt Ltd, we could organise such conference and expo in Nashik.