Arunachal: Itanagar mayor expresses concern over delay and lapses in Smart City projects

The Mayor of Itanagar Municipal Corporation, Tamme Phassang, along with corporators, conducted an inspection of ongoing smart city projects in the state capital, expressing growing impatience over alleged lapses and delays in their execution.

Among the projects under scrutiny were the under-construction Vendors market and the Artificial Intelligence Multi-level car parking facility in Naharlagun. Mayor Tamme Phassang, who had previously referred to the car parking project as an "atom bomb" during a prior visit to TRIHMS campus, has now raised concerns about irregularities in the multi-crore Vendors market project.

Phassang voiced apprehension regarding the delay in completing the G5 building of the vendor market, which is nearing its deadline. This delay has resulted in many struggling vegetable sellers losing their livelihoods and daily income.

Last year, on October 25th, a massive fire broke out at the Daily Market in Naharlagun, destroying over 700 shops that were the source of livelihood for numerous local women vendors. Although there were no casualties, goods worth several crores were reduced to ashes.

Mayor Phassang has expressed similar concerns regarding the multi-level automated car parking project, which has contributed to ongoing traffic issues in the area. Corporators have submitted written concerns, which will be forwarded to the state government, seeking action against the construction companies responsible for these critical projects.

The Vendors market project was awarded to Tas Foundries Pvt Ltd, an Ahmedabad, Gujarat-based company, through the EPC (Engineering, Procurement, and Construction) mode. The project had a one-year completion target set for December, but the work is reportedly only 20% complete and unsatisfactory.

In the case of the multi-level Automated car parking project, valued at 28 crores, Mayor Phassang called for transparency regarding the project awarded to the Korean company, Neuros Intelligent Management System (NIMS).

Mayor Phassang, who also serves as the local corporator for Ward no.17 of Naharlagun, responded to complaints from local citizens by personally visiting the area and issuing a stay on construction activities. The Itanagar Municipal Corporation (IMC) has issued a notice, instructing the executing agency and contractor to maintain the status quo until they submit a report on the project's parameters and its substantial Rs 28 crore cost.

The fully Automated AI-based Smart Parking System at TRIHMS Tomo Riba Institute of Health & Medical Science in Naharlagun is part of the Smart City mission and is being executed under the Engineering, Procurement, and Construction Contract mode with a cost of 27.49 crores and a completion target of December 2023. Itanagar Smart City Development Corporation Limited (ISCDCL) has overseen the tender process for this multi-level automated parking lot, which can accommodate 72 cars simultaneously.

Mayor Tamme Phassang, in an exclusive interview with India Today NE, criticized the NIMS construction agency for their work on the multi-level car parking project at Naharlagun inside the TRIHMS hospital compound. He raised concerns about the company's lack of experience in elevator construction and its choice to add a Korean name, emphasizing potential threats to public safety in the future.

The Mayor concluded by stating, "NIMS is basically a company that manufactures compressor machines and is now executing an elevator parking project in Naharlagun, which poses a serious threat to the lives of people who will park their cars here."