Kohima, the capital of Nagaland, is one of the fastest-growing cities in the Northeast. Known as the Stalingrad of the East, the growing urbanisation is increasing opportunities as the per-capita income of the state grew by 11.20 per cent in FY2024. Leading the Zonal Smart City in the Northeast, Kezhazelhou Theunuo, CEO, Kohima Smart City Development Ltd (KSCDL), tells NEHA YADAV about the city’s ongoing major projects such as multilevel car parking, Wi-Fi kiosk, the Hornbill Festival and upcoming initiatives.Last year, it was reported that 60 per cent of your projects had been completed under smart city projects. What is the current status of projects? To date, we have completed over 90 per cent of our projects. To be precise, it's about 94 per cent. For our small city, we have 32 projects, of which we have completed 30, and two major projects are nearing completion. Some major projects completed are four multilevel car parks, the state capital cultural hall, seven community buildings and pay-and-use toilets or smart toilets in the main city area. We’ve also constructed walkable streets and footpaths to make an ideal non-motorised city.How is the funding for these projects allocated?Our smart city initiative proposal was for Rs 5.43 billion, out of which Rs 4.9 billion was funded by the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs(MoHUA), and Rs 531.4 million was given by the state government. So, we have no issues with funding. Whatever we projected in our smart city project proposals, we’ve received the whole amount. Out of Rs 5.43 billion, we have earmarked Rs 5.05 billion for project implementation, which is almost 93 per cent. The balance amount is for administrative expenses.We find many projects, either in Kohima or in different smart cities, getting delayed or being stalled. Could you highlight some of the challenges faced so far?The delays in two of our projects, as well as others in various smart cities, can largely be attributed to several challenges. A significant factor has been the reliance on materials sourced from outside the state, with delays in supply chains impacting project timelines. Issues such as road blockages, transportation agitations and adverse weather conditions have further slowed down the timely delivery of materials and workforce. The shortage of skilled labour has also added to the delays, as local manpower is insufficient, requiring external workers and training programmes. Despite these setbacks, we remain hopeful about meeting the revised deadline of March 2025, hoping that collaborative efforts and proactive measures will help overcome these hurdles.Could you share details about the remaining two projects?One is the redevelopment of Kohima Local Ground. This is the first playground in the capital. We are upgrading this local ground with modern sports facilities to enhance its usability. The other project is the City Centre, which covers about 5 acre. It includes a three-star hotel, commercial complex, sports complex, multilevel car parking and recreational areas. These two are ongoing projects.Is there any project from Kohima that could serve as a role model?Given our size, a major project completed is the Wi-Fi kiosk. We have even won an award in the Global Smart Cities Forum as the Best Digital Initiative. Essentially, the hill faces connectivity challenges for high-speed Internet. So, we have activated Wi-Fi hotspots in 51 locations along with two smart kiosks. The kiosks feature a locally branded Ul accessible through QR codes where visitors can get information on restaurants, hotels and places to visit around Kohima. With respect to the entire Northeast, the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway (IMT) is an ambitious project and Kohima is also said to be part of this. What benefits would this project bring?This is called the SS One Highway here. It is 1,400 km long and aims at road connectivity, which is important in a time of global trade, and will increase regional development, complementing connectivity and accessibility to remote areas. The highway will serve as a crucial link with the countries of Southeast Asia such as Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. It passes through Kohima and, hopefully, once this highway is operational, Nagaland will benefit a lot through business and opportunities in commerce, health, trade, education and tourism.Traffic congestion is a major problem, particularly during events like the Hornbill Festival. Are there any initiatives, either under the smart city project or by the corporation, to tackle this?Kohima is in a hilly area. We have one-lane, hardly two-lane, roads in some areas. Due to the non-availability of multi-car parking facilities, most of our roads are being occupied by vehicles, which cause traffic congestion. But now, Kohima Smart City has constructed four multilevel car parks that can accommodate more than 600 cars and vehicles. These car parks have modern facilities. Since we’ve completed these projects, people have started parking their vehicles in these car parks. So, we hope to see traffic congestion reduced now.Could you share some details of the recently held Hornbill Festival?It was the 25th year of the festival and was a huge success, attracting over 180,000 people from India and abroad, including delegates from the US, Peru and the UK. What are some upcoming initiatives or tenders?The Smart City Mission is approaching its conclusion and, currently, there are no new projects underway. However, Kohima Smart City plans to reinvest the revenues generated from its existing initiatives into several forward-looking projects. These include the installation of smart lighting systems, integration of solar energy and expansion of i3C capabilities, particularly in AI and IoT technologies. Additionally, the city is focusing on improving public utilities, such as advanced sewage and water supply systems. Beautification and construction projects for public spaces are also on the agenda. Proposals for these projects are under discussion, with the smart lighting system being top priority. Tenders for the projects will be issued soon.