This smart city has completed six major smart roads

21 Feb 2023 CW Team

Popularly known earlier as the ‘Manchester of Karnataka’, Davanagere is part of the Phase 1 cities of the Smart City Mission. With achievements such as the Award of Excellence in Urban Transport and the Vivekananda Sustainability Award under its belt, the smart city SPV has been implementing ICT-related initiatives to make the citizens of the entire city feel inclusive. Veereshakumar, IAS, Managing Director & CEO, Davanagere Smart City Ltd (DSCL), shares more in a conversation with SNEHA IYER.

Davanagere Smart City recently bagged the ‘Award of Excellence in Urban Transport’ from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. Tell us about the initiatives taken by the city that contributed to this success.

We won the award for the successfulimplementation and monitoring of traffic junctions through CCTV cameras and generating e-challans by the police department.Public messages are announced through 40 PAS to achieve lane discipline in traffic junctions.

Through this, we have been able to reduce accident rates drastically. By using CCTV footage and nine video analytics features,authorities are solving several cases within a matter of hours. We have been able to make the city safer and reduced mortality rates. We have also installed digital display boards and VaMS boards to display precautionary messages about traffic and crime violations from the police.

The city has set a precedent for urban infrastructure. Please elaborate on the efforts taken towards infrastructure in the areas of surveillance systems, traffic analytics, e-governance and solid waste management.
Most of the city is covered by surveillance cameras. There are 213 cameras,which are a combination of PTZ (pan-tilt-zoom) and fixed cameras at 109 locations. These cameras are monitored exclusively by the police department at a dedicated police command-and-control centre...

To read the full interaction, CLICK HERE.

Infrastructure Transport

06 Feb 2026

Lucknow Metro East-West Corridor Consultancy Contract Awarded

The Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation has awarded the first construction-related consultancy contract for the Lucknow Metro East West Corridor to a joint venture of AYESA Ingenieria Arquitectura SAU and AYESA India Pvt Ltd. The firm was declared the lowest bidder for the Detailed Design Consultant contract for Lucknow Metro Line-2 under Phase 1B and the contract was recommended following the financial bid. The contract is valued at Rs 159.0 million (mn), covering design services for the corridor. Lucknow Metro Line-2 envisages the construction of an 11.165 kilometre corridor connecting Cha..

Div Com Kashmir Urges Fast Tracking Of Jhelum Water Transport Project

The Divisional Commissioner of Kashmir has called for the fast-tracking of the Jhelum water transport project, urging district administrations and relevant agencies to accelerate planning and clearances. In a meeting convened at the divisional headquarters, the commissioner instructed officials from irrigation, public health engineering and municipal departments to prioritise the project and coordinate survey and design work. The directive emphasised removal of administrative bottlenecks and close monitoring to ensure timely mobilisation of resources and contractors. Officials were told to in..

Interarch Reports Strong Q3 And Nine Month Results

Interarch Building Solutions Limited reported unaudited results for the third quarter and nine months ended 31 December 2025, recording strong revenue growth driven by execution and a robust order book. Net revenue for the third quarter rose by 43.7 per cent to Rs 5.225 billion (bn), compared with Rs 3.636 bn a year earlier, reflecting heightened demand in pre-engineered building projects. The company’s total order book as at 31 January 2026 stood at Rs 16.85 bn, supporting near-term visibility. EBITDA excluding other income for the quarter increased by 43.2 per cent to Rs 503 million (mn),..