Latest news with #PrayagrajMunicipalCorporation
Time of India
3 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
PMC uses AI to monitor cleanliness and urban amenities
1 2 Prayagraj: In a progressive step towards enhancing urban cleanliness and monitoring, the Prayagraj Municipal Corporation has initiated trial to monitor city's lanes using Artificial Intelligence (AI), following the successful use of AI surveillance on major roads. The trial aims to extend advanced monitoring system, which covers cleanliness, street lighting, encroachments, and illegal dairy activities, into the narrow bylanes of the city. Currently, corporation has equipped the Quick Response Team (QRT) vehicles with cameras and GPS devices to conduct surveillance of lanes alongside the main roads. These cameras capture real-time data, which is analysed with the help of AI to identify cleanliness issues, encroachments, and other violations quickly. O nce the trial phase concludes successfully, the plan is to equip all garbage collection vehicles, which cover the city's lanes and residential areas, with similar camera and GPS technology. This will allow for modern, comprehensive surveillance of nearly all the lanes in the city. Deputy Municipal Commissioner Deep Shikha Pandey explained that the AI-based monitoring on main roads yielded positive results. "Based on this success, we intend to replicate the model for the lanes. AI surveillance will help improve cleanliness in lanes, enable immediate reporting of debris and encroachments, and assist in prompt corrective action," she said. The AI surveillance initiative is also expected to positively impact Prayagraj's ranking in the next Swachh Survekshan (Cleanliness Survey). Prayagraj is the first city in Uttar Pradesh to implement AI technology for monitoring major roads, a pioneering move that is now expanding into the more complex network of the city's lanes. In another major development, the Municipal Corporation recently completed a comprehensive survey of over 1.72 lakh buildings in the city's expanded limits, which include both developed, undeveloped areas. The survey revealed that over 80,000 buildings still lack minimum urban amenities, highlighting the uneven spread of infrastructure across the city. The tax department of the corporation has decided to issue property tax notices this financial year only to those building owners who receive basic urban facilities. Before sending these notices, a thorough cross-check was conducted to verify urban amenities in the extended limits. This exercise uncovered many areas still predominantly rural in character, where municipal services are minimal or absent. Chief Tax Assessment Officer PK Mishra emphasised the challenge, stating, "It is unjustified to levy property tax on residents in areas where no urban facilities exist. Therefore, a re-survey is underway to clearly demarcate urban and rural zones in the expanded region." According to Mishra, approximately 8,000 buildings identified as part of developed areas have already been subjected to property tax collection from the financial year 2024-25 onward.
Hindustan Times
4 days ago
- Hindustan Times
Now, AI vigil on garbage collection, encroachment, too
Prayagraj Municipal Corporation (PMC) has adopted artificial intelligence (AI)-based monitoring of garbage, potholes and encroachments on main roads and bylanes on a trial basis, Prayagraj Smart City manager (IT) Mani Shanker Tripathi said. (For representation) It has installed AI-equipped cameras on its two quick response team (QRT) vehicles. The AI would process information regarding unattended garbage, potholes and encroachments feed them to a server. The cameras have a three-meter-wide angle besides front view capacity of up to 50 meters. 'So far, the trial is yielding positive results. It has traced, analysed and reported information about potholes, unattended garbage dumped on roadsides besides bylanes, debris, uneven manhole covers and defunct streetlights. The results provided by the AI were cross-checked through physical verification and were found to be error-free,' he said. As per the official, if the trial is successful, such cameras would then be installed in all garbage collection vans used in the city's 80 wards. Meanwhile, additional municipal commissioner Deepshikha Pandey said the new set-up would not only help update PMC officials about daily collection of garbage from each and every road, but also help maintain a vigil on roadside encroachments and dumping of debris. This would help improve the ranking of the city in the next Swachh survey, she added Also, Prayagraj is the first city in the state where such a monitoring system is introduced, officials said. Presently, 70 km of major roads are being monitored with the help of AI.
Time of India
6 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
PMC to roll out block level mapping and property numbering system
1 2 Prayagraj: In a major move aimed at streamlining property identification and property tax collection, the Prayagraj Municipal Corporation is set to roll out a block-level mapping and numbering system across city neighbourhoods. This initiative will reduce the hassle of locating individual houses and help improve the efficiency of municipal services such as tax collection and property surveys. Under the proposed plan, each locality will be divided into smaller blocks, with approximately 100 houses in each block. Depending on the population and area size, each ward is expected to have between five to seven such blocks. Since there are 100 wards in the city, the total number of blocks could range from 3,000 to 4,000 citywide. The Municipal Corporation's chief tax assessment officer, PK Mishra, stated that a GIS (Geographic Information System) survey firm was already notified about new survey requirement through official correspondence sent four days ago. The block-wise survey is likely to begin within next 20 to 25 days. Each house within these newly created blocks will be assigned a unique identification number by the corporation. The block numbers will incorporate the first letter or syllable of the locality's name for easy identification. For instance, if the block is in the Teliyarganj area, the houses will bear addresses like 'T-Block A', making location tracking straightforward even if ward boundaries change during municipal elections. The plan takes into account the fact that while ward boundaries may be redrawn, locality boundaries generally remain constant. Although a similar initiative was launched a few years ago, it was eventually discontinued. However, some progress was made, and house numbering began in localities such as Mumfordganj. So far, the Municipal Corporation has issued unique numbers to over 12,000 properties. In a related development, property records (locally known as khasra) for recently extended municipal areas will be prepared over the next six months. These records will be officially entered into municipal archives and are expected to be uploaded online by 2026. According to the latest GIS survey, approximately 1.78 lakh building properties have been identified in Prayagraj. However, property tax is currently being collected from only around 50,000 of these properties. To further enhance civic infrastructure, the PMC is also working on upgrading smart city facilities. According to additional municipal commissioner Deependra Yadav, advanced technologies will be adopted for traffic management, water supply, sewer systems and energy monitoring. The Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) is also being upgraded for better city-wide coordination and service delivery.
Time of India
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Prayagraj crowned Cleanest Ganga Town
1 2 3 Prayagraj: The Sangam City has earned special recognition as the Cleanest Ganga Town, securing first place in the country after defeating Varanasi in this important category for its outstanding performance in the Swachh Survekshan 2024-25 survey. Prayagraj has made a significant jump in the Swachh Survekshan rankings, securing the 12th position in the all-India ranking for 2024-25, up from 71st position in 2023-24. Prayagraj has indeed made significant strides in waste management, earning a 5-star rating in the Garbage Free City category. Varanasi slipped to second position in the Swachh Survekshan 2024-25 rankings, having held the top spot in 2023-24 as the cleanest Ganga town. The honour was formally bestowed upon Prayagraj mayor Umesh Chandra Ganesh Keserwani by Union urban development minister Manohar Lal Khattar at a grand ceremony held in New Delhi. The award was given in recognition of Prayagraj's exceptional sanitation efforts in the Ganga Town region and the enormous success of the world's largest religious event, the Maha Kumbh Mela 2025. This accolade highlights Prayagraj's rising stature as a model of cleanliness and sanitation on both a national and international stage. Mayor Keserwani dedicated the honour to the people of Prayagraj, saying, "This award is a tribute to the relentless hardwork and dedication of Prayagraj's citizens, whose efforts have propelled the city to the pinnacle of cleanliness." He also credited the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in driving the Swachh Bharat mission, noting that Prayagraj emerged as a shining example by turning this vision into reality. The event was also attended by several dignitaries, including Uttar Pradesh's urban development minister AK Sharma, special secretary of the urban development department Anuj Jha, Prayagraj municipal commissioner Seelam Sai Teja, and additional municipal commissioner Deependra Yadav. The delegation from Prayagraj included prominent figures such as Girijesh Mishra, Pramod Jaiswal Modi, Rajan Shukla, Shyam Prakash Pandey, Abhishek Singh, and Rishi Yadav. Following the award ceremony, councillors, officers, staff, and sanitation workers of the Prayagraj Municipal Corporation congratulated the residents of Prayagraj for this prestigious achievement, celebrating the city's commitment to maintaining cleanliness and hygiene. Uttar Pradesh's cities performed impressively in the overall Swachh Survekshan 2024/25 rankings. Among the Million Plus Cities category, Lucknow Municipal Corporation secured the third place nationally with a score of 12,001. Agra stood at 10th place with 11,532 points, Ghaziabad at 11th slot with 11,514 points and Prayagraj at 12th with a commendable total score of 11,292.
Time of India
17-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Bio CNG plant to reduce carbon emissions
1 2 Prayagraj: The Prayagraj Municipal Corporation's innovative bio CNG plant in Arail is now up and running. After a trial run processing 20 tonnes of wet waste daily for a couple of days, it will scale up to its full capacity of 200 tonnes per day. Developed through a public-private partnership, this plant is a pioneering initiative in the state. A state-of-the-art plant has been installed in Arail on 12.49 acres at a cost of Rs 153 crore. This plant will produce 343 tonnes of CNG daily. It will produce about 21.5 tonnes of gas, 109 tonnes of solid organic manure, and 100 tonnes of liquid organic manure per day. In the first phase, the work of making gas from wet waste of 200 tonnes capacity has started. The remaining 143 tonnes of gas will be produced from paddy straw and cow dung, for which the plant is being expanded. The bio CNG plant will require 200 tonnes of wet waste in its first phase to produce biogas. According to Municipal Commissioner Seelam Sai Teja, 100 tonnes of garbage will be made available initially, with more to follow as per capacity. Project head Himanshu Srivastava expects 100 tonnes of wet garbage to arrive daily within weeks, with all of Prayagraj city's wet waste being directed to this plant. According to municipal corporation's environmental engineer Uttam Verma, the plant is expected to generate approximately Rs 53 lakh annually by converting previously discarded waste into valuable resources. The plant will process fruit and vegetable peels, leftovers, and flower waste into 8,900 kg of bio-CNG and 109 tonnes of manure daily. Additionally, the plant premises will feature 2,100 planted trees, contributing to environmental sustainability. Officials claim that this will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 56,700 tonnes every year. Apart from this, it will provide direct and indirect employment to 200 people. Forty people will be directly employed in the plant.
