Vikram Udyogpuri, near Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh, is an industrial township that is to be developed as a smart city. It will have dedicated areas for residential, commercial, public and semi-public buildings, in addition to educational institutions like medical colleges, engineering colleges, industrial training institutes and others. In order to provide smart facilities in the city, developers are implementing systems that make use of advanced technologies like closed circuit television (CCTV) and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA), safety and security systems, information and communications technology (ICT) networks and integrated management information systems (IMIS). These facilities are aimed at ensuring holistic development of the region and enabling the provision of smart facilities that make optimum use of resources and meet the needs of the urban agglomeration.
Proposed in 2015, the development of Vikram Udyogpuri is part of the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) project. The township is an early- bird project under the development plan of the Pithampur-Dhar-Mhow Investment Region (one of DMIC’s 24 regions). This is a first-of-its-kind mini project under the Smart Cities Mission under which the provision of every facility will be connected with technology to enable seamless services for citizens.
Prudent provision
SPML Infra, with consortium partner Om Metals Infraprojects, will undertake the development of the city, which has a total built-up area of 100 acres. One of its major features will be the provision of 24×7 water supply. This will be made possible through a water treatment plant and pumping station and a water supply conveyance system from the Shipra river. The consortium will also establish a complete sanitation system with a sewerage network, which involves the cons-
truction of sewage treatment and effluent treatment plants, a stormwater drainage system and a solid waste management system. The plans also include the construction of internal and external roads with four and six lanes, power transmission and distribution (T&D) systems, domestic gas distribution systems and street lighting facilities.
The key IT initiatives being undertaken by the consortium include the setting up of an ICT network (which will consist of SCADA and programmable logic controller systems) as well as an IMIS. To further enable the monitoring of services through a single window, a centralised command and control centre has been planned. In addition, the city will be equipped with IT and telecom facilities consisting of routers, main optical distribution frames and 42 U-cabinets.
Security is an important aspect of any city and a key concern of governments across the globe. Using modern-day technology, the prudent use of security systems with advanced equipment can allow a city to be centrally monitored. This will ensure the establishment of a network of services that allow for the greater safety of citizens. Keeping this in mind, Vikram Udyogpuri will be equipped with advanced security systems comprising CCTV cameras and access control centralised servers, CCTV network video recording and storage devices, and video display walls. An administration building with an ICT control centre has also been proposed. The laying of a fibre optic network with cabinets and distribution frames for each individual plot is also in the pipeline.
Meanwhile, SPML Infra has developed an IMIS for the smart management of water utilities and is implementing it in Vikram Udyogpuri. It is a powerful enterprise management system designed to undertake the day-to-day operations of water distribution utilities and seamlessly manage the entire gamut of services. A key feature of this system is the facility to allow utilities to view and analyse geographic information system (GIS) and consumer data over the internet. They will be able to access and collect this data in Excel or PDF format for further analysis, improving the efficiency of all operations and enabling water distribution utilities to take informed decisions in real time. IMIS connects an entire organisation with customers, suppliers, partners, contractors and employees. Other features like easy accessibility on the internet, easy-to-use navigation, professional print and report generation, and custom and advanced search functionalities make the system highly user friendly.
Given the advantages of IMIS, its relevance in the upcoming smart city is hardly questionable. It has been successfully implemented in Dharwad, which has an efficient and cost-effective water supply system, proving its relevance across all cities in India (see box). The extensive water supply and sewerage systems in Vikram Udyogpuri require the implementation of IMIS to enable authorities to monitor the provision of various services. The scope of the project provides ample opportunities for using this system in raw water transmission lines, distribution pipelines, raw water reservoirs, recycled water reservoirs, pumping stations and overhead tanks. It can also be used in the operations of wastewater infrastructure, comprising tertiary treatment plants, sewage pumping stations, recycled wastewater pumping stations and T&D sewage pipelines.
The development of Vikram Udyogpuri and other smart cities require extensive use of IMIS and ICT. These systems enable the smart operation of water supply and sewerage facilities and power distribution and security services and enable better distribution management. Their successful implementation will not only help urban local bodies (ULBs) in their day-to-day operations but also allow them to ensure greater customer satisfaction. Their extensive utilisation can help augment the capacities of ULBs, which will equip them to undertake various projects that are otherwise not feasible, given the operational hindrances. With the central government’s aim of developing 100 cities as smart cities, it is likely that the use of these systems will increase by leaps and bounds and become a regular feature in India’s civic infrastructure.