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The Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) has directed civic officials to take control of all projects developed under its Smart City initiative by the end of March, 2026, as the dedicated Smart City office is slated to cease operations. The corporation has established a three-member committee to manage the transition of both ongoing and completed schemes into regular municipal departments, ensuring their completion and upkeep. The Smart City initiative, launched in 2017 with combined funding from the central government, the state and PCMC, saw investments totalling close to INR 980 crore, but faced criticism for incomplete or non-functional elements, including issues with city surveillance infrastructure. As part of the transition, Smart City staff will return to their original roles, and contractual employees will be retained only until their agreements expire, while PCMC continues to bear costs for operation and maintenance of the existing assets.
The Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) has instructed civic officials to assume full responsibility for all projects undertaken under the city's Smart City programme by the end of March, 2026, ahead of the planned closure of the Smart City office, officials said earlier this week. The directive comes as part of a formal transition process to integrate smart city infrastructure into the routine functioning of municipal departments. Advertisement
Under the order issued by PCMC Commissioner Shravan Hardikar, a three-member oversight committee has been constituted to ensure a smooth handover of assets, ongoing works and completed projects from the Smart City office to the relevant civic departments. Once the transition is complete, the dedicated Smart City Mission office will stop functioning, and its personnel will be reassigned with regular civic staff returning to their original roles and contractual employees retained only until the end of their contracts.
The Smart City initiative in Pimpri-Chinchwad began in 2017 as part of the Government of India's broader Smart Cities Mission, aimed at improving urban infrastructure and services through targeted investments and technology-driven solutions. PCMC's programme received contributions from the central government, the state and the municipal corporation itself, with a total investment heading close to INR 980 crore over several years. Despite this funding, certain elements of the mission including the city's Integrated Command and Control Centre and associated surveillance infrastructure have faced criticism for incomplete implementation or operational challenges.
Officials said the handover is intended to ensure continued focus on infrastructure delivery and maintenance, without leaving projects in administrative limbo after the Smart City office closes. PCMC will now manage remaining contractual obligations, ongoing works and assets created under the mission through its conventional administrative structure. The transition is also expected to clarify accountability for project completion and long-term maintenance, with assets integrated into regular civic planning and budgeting frameworks.
The move reflects a broader trend as the central Smart Cities Mission has reached its sunset phase, with many participating cities transitioning legacy projects to municipal administrations for long-term management. In Pimpri-Chinchwad, the decision underscores efforts to embed smart infrastructure within the city's broader urban development agenda, while addressing challenges faced during the mission's implementation phase.
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