Nashik's Smart City Stalling: ₹650 Crore Projects Locked Away

Despite the completion of 18 major smart city projects—including the highly anticipated Goda Park and the essential Emergency Operation Centre—the Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) has yet to receive formal possession. This delay has left key developments like the ₹20 crore Goda Park inaccessible for over 15 months since their inauguration, frustrating residents.

Goda Park, a flagship initiative under the Godavari River beautification project, was finished about a year ago but remains closed to the public. Built at a cost of ₹20 crore, it features children's play areas, an amphitheatre, a fountain, an open gym, a rose garden, an open restaurant, and a floating jetty for Godavari River boat rides. The broader beautification effort, spanning Godaghat near Ramkund, Ramwadi, and the opposite bank of Ramkund, includes basalt flooring and ‘Deepstambhs’ and totals around ₹75 crore in investments.

Municipal Commissioner Manisha Khatri has now set a one-month deadline for the formal handover of all 18 completed projects to the NMC. She noted that this process involves signing tripartite service-level agreements between contractors, the smart city corporation, and the NMC to ensure smooth operations and maintenance.

Sumant More, CEO of Nashik Municipal Smart City Development Corporation Ltd (NMSCDCL), confirmed that 18 of the 21 projects under the Smart City Mission—representing ₹650 crore of the ₹1,000 crore total budget—are complete. Efforts are underway to finalize the required agreements to enable the NMC to take charge and open these facilities to the public. Citizens are particularly eager to access landmark projects like Goda Park, which promises to become a vibrant recreational space in the heart of Nashik.

News by Rahul Yelligetti.