The Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) has floated a Rs. 300 mn tender to establish a command and control centre at the rural police headquarters in Adgaon, as preparations gather pace for technology-led security and civic management during Kumbh Mela 2027. The facility will integrate surveillance, traffic and crowd-management systems across Nashik and Trimbakeshwar.

The selected agency will supply, install, integrate, test and commission the infrastructure, besides operating and maintaining it. The bid submission deadline is October 31, and civic officials plan to issue the work order by mid-November, allowing implementation to begin early. The project has been approved by the Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Kumbh Mela Authority through the NMC.

The centre will receive feeds from CCTV cameras and other surveillance systems covering the mela grounds, ghats, approach roads, transit hubs, accommodation facilities and parking zones. Its technology package will include artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled CCTV surveillance, advanced video analytics, automatic number plate recognition, crowd-density monitoring, drone surveillance, smart parking and intelligent traffic management.

Cameras, drones, sensors and Internet of Things (IoT) devices will feed a common platform. Officials will be able to monitor incidents on geographic information system (GIS)-based maps and initiate responses under standard operating procedures. The NMC has described the Adgaon facility as an operational hub for security, surveillance and civic management, working alongside Nashik Smart City’s existing command centre at the city police commissioner’s office and a planned centre in Trimbakeshwar.

Authorities estimate that 80 to 100 mn pilgrims could visit Nashik city, while about 40 mn could travel to Trimbakeshwar. The event will begin with Dhwajarohan on October 31, followed by the three major Amrit Snans on August 2, August 31 and September 12, 2027. The network is intended to remain operational after the festival for public safety, traffic management and wider urban monitoring.