Srinagar, September 06 (KNS): In an important development, work on the ambitious Integrated Command & Control Centre or ICCC project has been started in Srinagar.

The ICCC which also include a Data Centre will integrate all civic and essential services into a single platform aimed at monitoring and addressing public issues on real-time basis. It is being established under the Smart Smart project.

Civil work on the project which also includes an Emergency Operation Centre or EOC to be has started. The project includes various components including a call centre, a grievance management cell, an operations planning & coordination cell, an emergency response system and an IT unit.

Once operational the ICCC Headquarters will have representatives from all departments the aim being to put in place a mechanism of synergy between concerned departments for prompt coordination and redressal of public issues.

The centre will bring all of various proposed smart services and solutions under one umbrella. Some of the services and solutions that it will offer are emergency call box and panic button, city-wide CCTV surveillance, environment sensors for quality monitoring, solid waste management sensors for monitoring and timely disposal, smart parking & traffic management, early warning response system, efficacy in power and water supply and consumer complaints, smart governance and public grievance redressal.

The project also includes an Intelligent Traffic Management System or ITMS component. The ITMS will enable 24x7 and real-time detection of traffic violations in the city. It will include the red light violation detection system as well as the speed violation detection system. This component also includes smart parking management.

The ITMS will also provide important information of public interest about vehicular traffic density and congestion on different roads. It should be noted that work has already been started on the Variable Message Display project which will be integrated with ICCC for effective public communication on various aspects including about traffic.

Some of the other important components of the ICCC project include energy management and automation service and connection to the smart grid to be established as part of it, smart grid automation & flexible distribution enabling smart metering as well as LPG distribution management, smart planning & stakeholder management, integrated city management platform, intelligent weather system, smart public service delivery, public safety through city-wide video surveillance, emergency management, digital city services and WiFi internet service.

The ICCC Headquarters will be a state-of-the-art facility spread over a huge 90,000 sq. ft. area. It will house multiple facilities including the ICCC, EOC, DC and other units of Srinagar Smart City. Work on the facility was started on last week on 1 September and will be executed round-the-clock and completed within the targeted timeframe.

Some 12 kanals of land will be exclusively used as a smart parking place for employees working at the centre. There will also be a separate parking lot for visitors to the centre.

More than 45 departments have deployed around 80 officials to the Srinagar district administration for capacity building and later placement at Integrated Command and Control Centre.

To sensitise the concerned about it a stakeholders workshop was organised by the Srinagar Smart City Limited at SKICC Srinagar. Deputy Commissioner Srinagar (CEO SSCL) Dr Shahid Iqbal Choudhary while speaking on the occasion talked about the significance of this project and highlighted in detail the roles and functions of ICCC and DC being established under Smart City in Srinagar.

Stressing the importance of time-bound integration of various services offered by various departments in the district he said the ambitious project enables a coordination in administration that is key to efficient public service delivery. He said this common platform will lead to provision of desired service to citizens.

During the workshop a detailed presentation was made by an expert team from the Government of India about data acquisition, creation of sectoral infrastructure in city, integration of services, establishment of ICCC, services availability to citizens and data security.

The presentation also covered other aspects such as capacity building needs of various departments for ITMS, waste management, emergency response system, smart street lighting, smart power and water management, building management system, public grievances, health care, sanitation, drainage among other services.

Inspector General of Police, Kashmir Zone, Vijay Kumar, chaired the session on intelligent traffic management, power and water efficiency and law and order management.

The IGP complemented the district administration and the SSCL team for organising the stakeholders conference for better appreciation of departmental needs and analysis of gaps which the ICCC aims to address.

Chief Engineer I&FC, Iftikhar Kakroo, and Director Disaster Management, Aamir Ali, who were also present on the occasion discussed requirements of flood management, city-wide alert system, preparedness, monitoring of various parameters, functioning of EOC and other aspects. The discussions in this regard were held with the visiting technical team.

Jt Commissioner, Srinagar Municipal Corporation, held a discussion on an initiative required for improving the monitoring of garbage collection and disposal, waste management, dewatering and drainage.

SSP Srinagar Dr Haseeb Mughal and SSP Traffic City Javid Koul, also present on the occasion, also held relevant discussions. The former projected requirements from security point of view and law and order management in the city whereas the latter discussed the requirements of traffic police for efficient regulation and management of ITMS.

Steps required for auditing the existing infrastructure, addressing gaps, adding smart solutions and value addition with number plate detection system, red light violation detection system, speed violation detection system and other measures being established as a part of the ICCC were also discussed on the occasion.

ADC Syed Haneef Balkhi who was also present raised concerns surrounding data security during the workshop. The visiting expert team while responding to it informed that the inbuilt controls for data security do not allow access without high security codes.

Interventions in health sector, education, energy were also discussed during the workshop.

Concluding the proceedings of the workshop the Deputy Commissioner Srinagar asked the departments to project their concept notes for integration with ICCC, desired outcomes and also requirements for upgradation wherever required.

Dr Shahid also talked the initiative taken by the district administration in coordination with the Srinagar Smart City Limited for a robust and dedicated public grievance redressal system being established shortly.

The ICCC project is expected to bring a paradigm shift in governance and working of the government administration by bringing all departments under one umbrella for coordination and monitoring of public services and real-time redressal of grievances and solutions to disruptions. It is aimed at providing the best possible experience in civic services. The stakeholders workshops as was held and to be held in future too are aimed at better planning and efficient outcomes.

The visiting technical team is also working on software and other aspects including capacity building of other staff drawn from different departments of the district administration. It is notable that best of the officers and officials have been identified from all departments of the district to study the ICCC model in cities across India.(KNS)