A delegation of Media Persons from Tamil Nadu, visited Tumakuru today to witness the successful culmination of the Smart Cities Mission. Tumakuru has officially emerged as the top-performing city in Karnataka, becoming the first of the state’s seven selected cities to achieve full physical and financial closure of its projects. Executed with a total expenditure of Rs. 994 crore against a fund allocation of Rs. 1,000 crore (funded equally by the Government of India and the Government of Karnataka), the mission successfully covered all mandated urban development categories, despite Tumakuru being the smallest city selected for the mission.

Briefing the media delegation, Shri Vinay Kumar, Executive Engineer (Civil), Tumakuru Smart City Ltd. detailed how the mission focused on a 3-kilometer radius representing the Central Business District (CBD). This targeted approach covered 11% of the city’s total area and 14% of its population across 55 municipal wards.

Key Highlights of the Tumakuru Smart City Project:

• Housing and Slum Redevelopment: In a notable departure from models in neighboring states where beneficiaries share costs, 55 to 60 families were relocated from slums into newly constructed G+4 apartments provided entirely free of cost.
• Smart Energy Savings: Conventional streetlights were replaced with 40,000 smart LED lights across 50 sq. km. Executed under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP), this Centrally Controlled Monitoring System (CCMS) dropped the city’s monthly power bill from Rs. 1.2 crore to Rs. 45 lakh, generating a massive saving of Rs. 60 lakh per month.
• Robust Infrastructure & Transport: Approximately Rs. 250 crore was invested in upgrading major roads. Public transit was revolutionized with a newly built Rs. 105 crore KSRTC bus stand, integrated with Public Information System (PIS) boards, modern bus shelters, and auto stands.
• Health, Education & Sports: The project successfully delivered a new emergency trauma care center at the government hospital, a G+4 state-of-the-art digital public library, and a Rs. 62 crore 10,000-capacity international stadium equipped with synthetic turf, a football lawn, and an international indoor gymnastics center. Other infrastructures like digital public library and an auditorium for Empress Government Girls College were created. Revenue-generating assets like vegetable markets and food courts were also established using an auction-based rental model.
• Water Supply: A dedicated pipeline lifting drinking water from the Hemavathi Gurur dam (20 km away) was implemented, seamlessly supplementing 10% of the city’s 65 MLD daily demand.
• Waste and Water Management: The city cleared legacy waste through a Rs. 4 crore bio-mining initiative and now processes 120 tons of solid waste daily, converting organic waste into manure sold to farmers for just Re. 1 per kg. Sewage was diverted to protect the Amanikere lake, and treated water from an underground drainage plant is now pumped 20 kilometers to a KIADB tertiary plant for industrial use. Furthermore, drinking water is being lifted from the Hemavathi Gurur dam to supplement 10% of the city's 65 MLD daily demand.

24/7 Integrated Command & Control Center (ICCC): Functioning as the digital nerve center of Tumakuru, the ICCC seamlessly integrates traffic enforcement, public safety, environmental monitoring, and citizen services onto a single, centralized management platform. At the core of the ICCC's capabilities is a robust surveillance and enforcement grid designed to enhance urban safety. 

The city now operates 600 live cameras  city-wide to monitor traffic flow, address public issues, and secure VIP movements. To bolster security in high-density transit hubs, advanced Facial Recognition technology has been integrated at key locations, specifically railway stations and bus stands.

Traffic discipline has been significantly upgraded through the implementation of Automated Violation Detection. The system instantly captures infractions—such as riding without a helmet, triple riding, and using a mobile phone while driving—and automatically issues e-challans to offenders. The system features automatic number plate recognition to issue automated challans for traffic violations like over-speeding and signal jumping.

Public Safety: For real-time citizen assistance, 41 Emergency Calling Boxes (SOS) have been strategically installed across the city, in major commercial zones. By simply pressing a button, users are connected directly to the command center for immediate emergency or non-emergency support. A unique "Home Monitoring" service was also launched, allowing traveling residents to have police-monitored cameras installed at their homes for a nominal fee. Additionally, Variable Message Sign (VMS) boards are utilized across the city to broadcast real-time informatory messages and advisories to the public.

​Automated Environmental Monitoring

In strict adherence to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) guidelines, Tumakuru has deployed a proactive environmental tracking system. The smart city network features specialized environmental boards and gas sensors that continuously monitor critical air quality metrics, including PM 2.5, PM 10, oxygen levels, and the overall Air Quality Index (AQI). In the event that pollutants exceed safe thresholds, the system is designed to trigger automated alerts, instantly notifying the concerned civic departments to initiate corrective measures.

​Integrated Citizen Mobile Application

Bridging the gap between the municipal administration and the public, the Smart City mission has launched a comprehensive Integrated Mobile Application. This citizen-centric platform empowers residents with several key features:

• ​Public Grievance System: Citizens can easily log complaints regarding civic infrastructure—such as streetlights, underground drainage (UGD), and water supply—which are automatically routed to the appropriate line departments for swift resolution.
• ​Administrative Convenience: The app streamlines civic duties by allowing users to pay their property taxes directly through their smartphones.
• ​City Information Hub: Acting as a digital directory for Tumakuru, the app provides real-time updates on city events and schedules, tourism information, departmental contact details, and a dedicated "who is who" directory of city officials.

Project Governance and Handover The Smart City project operated under a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) structured as an independent private company. Despite a complete halt in operations between 2020 and late 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, collective efforts and strong local leadership accelerated the works to completion.

Governance, Global Insights, and Lessons Learned

The project was executed through a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) guided by a board comprising the local MLA, Mayor, and an IAS officer as Chairman. Following international capacity-building programs in Paris and Barcelona—which inspired advanced drainage concepts—the city implemented crucial infrastructure updates.

​The implementation process also provided valuable urban planning lessons. A Rs. 3 crore, 4-kilometer cycle track was acknowledged as a conceptual failure due to prevailing social attitudes regarding cycling as transportation, leading to the repurposing of the space.

​With operations concluding in October 2025, the Tumakuru Smart City SPV has successfully dissolved. All developmental assets have been officially handed over to the Tumakuru City Corporation and respective line departments, ensuring decentralized, long-term maintenance of the city's upgraded infrastructure.

 

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