Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation takes the tech route to propel civic solutions
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In a country where govt departments generate vast volumes of data but rarely utilize it effectively, Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) is attempting to set a first-of-its-kind benchmark.
The civic body launched its City Hub for Data Communication (CHDC) initiative in Feb this year, inspired by Tel Aviv's 2013 'smart city' DigiTel model. The aim here was to transform how data is used to improve services, increase efficiency, and drive record revenue growth.
There have been some successes, said civic officials. The system has significantly improved grievance redressal timelines and fiscal performance, they told TOI.
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For instance, average complaint resolution time through the Smart Sarathi app (to raise civic issues) dropped from 16.5 days to 10 days in five months.
Also, PCMC's annual property tax collection surged from Rs628 crore in 2021–22 to Rs977 crore in 2023–24 and Rs965 crore in 2024-25. Officials attributed this largely to early results from CHDC's pilot phase of two years before its official launch.
The civic body has initiaed the project in eight departments, with plans to cover all others soon.
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The budget set aside for the project is Rs5-6 crore for a period of three years, including the development of several new apps being used by PCMC.
At the same time, residents of PCMC areas cautioned that harnessing data needs to translate into on-ground results.
Dattatraya Deshmukh, chairman, Pimpri Chinchwad Housing Societies Federation, told TOI, "Nothing has really changed for us. I am learning about this tech-driven approach through the media.
PCMC might be using it for tax collection, but little else. Anyone who uses the Smart Sarathi app will tell you that probably 10% of complaints get resolved. Instead, PCMC first needs to look at if resolution via the app is effectively carried out.
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"The system might be good for inter-departmental coordination, as it is very much needed. But till date, I see no impact on citizens. Having said this, if they have just started this and are sure of bringing in change, it's a good first step," he added.
What is the civic body doing with this data?
An official from the CHDC team told TOI that in many cases, valuable data was already available with departments but just kept for audit, not analysed to strategically improve efficiency of services.
Now, all departmental data is being standardised into a unified format, then integrated with other departments and a centralised system. This consolidated data is analysed by individual departments or the CHDC team to identify trends, inefficiencies and patterns that can inform both short- and long-term solutions.
"The process is designed to simplify data management for PCMC staff while significantly enhancing operational efficiency," said the official.
To scale the initiative further, PCMC is also building a centralized 'data lake' — a digital platform where data from all departments is stored, standardized, and accessed for cross-functional use. "Data from all departments will eventually be stored and integrated here," said Ankit Bharghava, CEO of Foxberry Technologies, which is implementing CHDC.
"Departments will be able to request data or specific requirement for improving services," he added.
At present, the CHDC team is working to digitize, clean, and format available data to unlock its full potential.
A PCMC official said, "Creating an individual profile of each resident is also one of the goals of the project using data from various departments. This will help provide targeted services. In crisis situations, unified data allows for efficient planning and response for citizens."
Tech-driven approach will unlock results in all depts
Civic officials said a standout success of CHDC has been witnessed in the property tax department. Data analytics were used to identify 1.44 lakh habitual defaulters and over 2 lakh property owners with outdated contact information.
"We categorized defaulters by size and duration of their arrears and pursued them strategically for recovery," said Avinash Shinde, assistant municipal commissioner, PCMC.
Women's self-help groups (SHGs) helped update mobile numbers while physically delivering bills. They also uploaded geotagged photos in an app, which helped PCMC with the exact coordinates of each property for updated addresses.
Additionally, property owners who typically paid their tax at the end of the financial year were sent customized reminders encouraging quarterly payments. This data-backed, targeted communication boosted timely payments and converted many annual taxpayers into quarterly ones.
In the first quarter of FY 2025-26, PCMC gathered Rs522 crore in property tax — the highest first quarter collections in its history. Another key development is that CHDC has introduced artificial intelligence (AI) into the grievance redressal system. "We found that nearly 42% of complaints were initially assigned to the wrong department due to incorrect selection by the complainant, leading to reallocation and delays," a senior PCMC official told TOI.
Now, AI suggests the correct department based on keywords in the complaint, bringing down reallocation to 25% and speeding up redressals.
Data analysts also revealed repetitive complaints in certain areas — hotspots that needed infrastructure upgrades rather than patchwork fixes. "In areas with rising populations, we are now increasing the size of drainage lines and upgrading facilities to handle added load, based on a study conducted following a heavy flow of complaints from the region," a senior PCMC official said.
'System not giving back to residents yet'
Where are the on-ground results, many residents of Pimpri Chinchwad asked, pointing out that these new-age methodologies have some hits and misses.
For instance, Chikhali resident Vikas Patil said, "The number of messages for reminders to pay property tax in time has increased. But sometimes, it is frustrating, particularly for those who do pay on time."
He also pointed out, "PCMC is focusing more on collecting taxes, but they should work on improving actual facilities for citizens.
In a majority of areas, residents still rely on tankers for water despite paying taxes on time."
Referring to the Smart Sarathi app, Prajakta Rudrawar, a resident of Kiwale, said PCMC may claim a dip in resolution time of complaints due to reallocation, but they should also check if plaints are closed after an adequate response. "The real problem is civic officials who handle these complaints. Tickets are closed without resolution or a proper action plan in cases where long-term solutions are needed.
This frustrates us," she said.
Sachin Londhe, president of Wakad-Pimpri Chinchwad Residents' Development and Welfare Association, agreed, "For the last three years, PCMC's grievance redressal systems, be it Sarathi app, pothole app or the WhatsApp helpline, are all a big failure. I have on several occasions had to reach out to the commissioner directly to get issues resolved. Officials only become aware of issues in their jurisdiction when residents call them.
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"As far as using tech for inter-departmental communication goes, PCMC needs it. But they must also use data to look at how areas are developing and resources available there, before giving more building permissions, especially in localities like Punawale and Tathawade. They could also use tech for more awareness drives around property tax rebates, enforcement of sanitation laws, road discipline, anti-pollution and more.
As of now, the tech use is not giving back to residents in any way," he emphasised.
"In rapidly expanding urban areas like Pimpri Chinchwad, timely and data-driven decision-making are essential. The CHDC initiative is one such effort to integrate data, technology, and citizen engagement to enable smarter and more accountable governance. Its initial use has shown promising results. As it is still in the early stages in other departments, we look forward to even better outcomes in coming days.
This initiative is driving greater efficiency within PCMC and enhancing quality of services for residents," said municipal commissioner Shekhar Singh.
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Citizens Say
We get messages about reminders to pay our property tax, which is helpful, but PCMC must also use the technology to incorporate discounts or rebates that they have offered to societies for implementation of eco-friendly initiatives, like solar or rainwater harvesting projects.
As far as I know, no society has got this rebate till date. In addition, civic officials looking after the Smart Sarathi app don't bother to look at complaints.
I am a resident of Pimple Saudagar and I find no direct impact of tech-driven initiatives for citizens. It only seems like a good idea for tax collection — Sandeep Deore | Manufacturing Industry Professional
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What PCMC needs when it comes to tech is to implement a system that is not only user-friendly but also customised and quick in issue resolution, like banks or other commercial businesses do.
Complaining onthe grievance portal almost always yields no result for residents. Civic officials close the complaint saying they will work on it, but nothing gets done. The tech-driven approach employed by PCMC should also look into reprimanding officials who do this.
There must also be more awareness about their schemes as at present, their ideas or initiatives are not reaching the end users, basically the citizens — Pradip Awati | IT Professional
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How is CHDC helping PCMC?
1. Unified Data Repository | Citizen data will be collected and managed in one place
2. Inter-Departmental Data Sharing | Data collected by one dept can be effectively utilised by another
3. Enhanced Efficiency | Better planning and execution of services using data-driven insights
4. Citizen-Centric Operations | Departments can focus on needs and profiles of citizens more effectively
5. Increased Revenue | More strategic outreach and awareness, leading to improved tax collection and other revenue sources
6. Improved Communication Channels | PCMC can use various communication methods to increase awareness about services, boost revenue, and ensure that citizens benefit from municipal facilities
7. Emergency Management | In crisis situations, having unified data allows for efficient planning and response
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