Smart City or smart failure? nearly 37% of KDMC Smart City equipment defunct

KALYAN: A significant portion of the surveillance and public safety infrastructure installed under the Rs 120-crore Smart City project in the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) area is currently non-functional, raising concerns among police officials and triggering questions over the upkeep of the technology-driven system.

Data accessed by TOI indicates that 392 of the 1,065 Smart City devices installed across Kalyan and Dombivli are not operational, translating to nearly 37% of the infrastructure being out of service.

Among the affected systems are 253 of the 846 CCTV cameras that form the backbone of the city's surveillance network. More worrying is the condition of vehicle-monitoring infrastructure, with 57 of the 84 Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras and 27 of the 36 Exit Number Plate Recognition (NPR) cameras reportedly non-functional.

The problem extends beyond surveillance. Of the 45 Variable Message Display (VMD) boards installed to relay traffic updates, weather alerts and public information, 22 have stopped working. Similarly, 17 of the 28 public announcement systems meant for emergency communication are non-operational. Sources also claimed that 16 of the 26 Emergency Call Box units are currently defunct.

Police officials, who rely heavily on the Smart City network for crime detection and monitoring law and order, have repeatedly requested the civic administration to restore the systems.
A senior police officials told TOI that, "Most of cameras in Dombivli's many parts are not working and we have requested KDMC to start these cameras".
The command-and-control centres operated jointly by KDMC and police have played a key role in maintaining a crime detection rate of over 80% in the twin cities.

Sources said many of the faults are linked to damaged cables, hardware failures and disruptions caused by ongoing metro and infrastructure works. The original maintenance contract expired in April 2025, after which KDMC continued maintenance through the same agency.

KDMC IT Manager Pramod Kamble acknowledges that not 37 % but many equipment was not functioning and said restoration work is underway."Metro construction and other infrastructure projects have affected some systems. Efforts are being taken to make them operational at the earliest," he said.

Smart City infrastructure status

Equipment |Non-functional| Total Installed| % Down

• CCTV Cameras| 253| 846| 29.9%
• ANPR Cameras| 57| 84| 67.9%
• Exit NPR Cameras| 27| 36| 75.0%
• VMD Boards| 22| 45| 48.9%
• Public Announcement Systems| 17| 28| 60.7%
• Emergency Call Boxes| 16| 26| 61.5%

Overall status

• Total equipment installed: 1,065
• Total non-functional: 392
• Total functional: 673
• Overall infrastructure down: 37 %