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Table of Contents 1. Smart City- An Introduction ................................................................. 4

1.2. Our Core Philosophy ......................................................................... 5

1.3. Approach and Methodology ............................................................. 6

2. City Profile ............................................................................................ 8

2.1. About the City- An Overview ....................................................... 8

2.2. History .......................................................................................... 8

2.3. Geography .................................................................................... 9

2.4. Climate and Rainfall ................................................................... 10

2.5. Overview of the ULB and Demographics ................................... 10

2.6. Employment ............................................................................... 13

2.7. Land Use Pattern ........................................................................ 14

2.8. Road Network ............................................................................ 16

2.9. Water Supply .............................................................................. 18

2.10. Sewerage ................................................................................ 19

2.11. Storm Water Drainage System ............................................... 20

2.12. Housing .................................................................................. 21

2.13. Slums ...................................................................................... 21

2.14. Commercial ............................................................................ 21

2.15. Education ............................................................................... 21

2.16. Health Care ............................................................................ 22

3. Stakeholder Consultation ................................................................... 23

3.1. Citizen Engagement ................................................................... 23

3.2. Developing Smart City Vision .................................................... 26

4. Identifying Sectors for Improvement .................................................... 36

5. Pan City Initiative ................................................................................... 38

5.1. Employment .............................................................................. 39

5.2. Emergency Response and Monitoring System (EMRS) ............. 43

5.3. Integrated Water Management Systems ....................................... 45

5.3.1. Water Quality Management System ..................................... 52

6. Area Based Initiatives ........................................................................ 57

6.1. City Characteristics .................................................................... 57

7. Programme Convergence for Smart City Funding ............................. 64

Key Contacts .............................................................................................. 66

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List of Figures

Figure 1. Developing Smart City Proposal .................................................... 4

Figure 2. MoUDs Assessment Criteria.......................................................... 4

Figure 3. Core Philosophy- Smart City Plan .................................................. 5

Figure 6. Developing Area Based Initiative .................................................. 7

Figure 7. Tirunelveli ...................................................................................... 8

Figure 8. Nellaiappar Temple ....................................................................... 9

Figure 9. Population Growth in Tirunelveli ................................................ 12

Figure 10. Gender wise Employment characteristics ................................ 13

Figure 11. Working Population in Tirunelveli ............................................ 13

Figure 12. Break up of the Developed Area ............................................... 14

Figure 13. Existing and Proposed Land Use Plan in Tirunelveli .................. 15

Figure 14. Map showing the road network in Tirunelveli .......................... 16

Figure 15. Maintenance of Roads .............................................................. 17

Figure 16. Map showing the Major Water Head works in the City ........... 18

Figure 17. Map showing the gradients in the City ..................................... 20

Figure 18. Breakup of Health Care Facilities .............................................. 22

Figure 19. Map showing the healthcare facilities in Tirunelveli District .... 22

Figure 20. Citizen Engagement .................................................................. 23

Figure 21. SWOT Analysis ........................................................................... 25

Figure 22. Developing Smart City Vision .................................................... 26

Figure 23. Vision Statement ....................................................................... 27

Figure 24. Open Group Discussion- Community ........................................ 33

Figure 25. Open Group Discussions- Students and Officials ...................... 34

Figure 26. Engagement with Leadership.................................................... 35

Figure 27. Identified Sectors for Improvement based on Citizen and

Leadership Engagement ............................................................................. 36

Figure 28. Variation of Water Pressure in the Area ................................... 46

Figure 29. Critical Point in the Water Distribution System ....................... 47

Figure 30. Valve Chamber ......................................................................... 48

Figure 31. Interface for Monitoring Pressure in the Water Distribution

System ....................................................................................................... 48

Figure 32. Automatic SMS Alert Systems to Valve Operators ................... 49

Figure 33. Data Logger .............................................................................. 50

Figure 34. Dashboard for Central Water Distribution System .................. 51

Figure 35 Water Quality Monitoring- Process ........................................... 53

Figure 36. Bio Sentry ................................................................................. 53

Figure 37. Hydrobox .................................................................................. 53

Figure 38. Water Quality Monitoring System Dashboard ......................... 54

Figure 39. Illustrative MIS Dashboard for Septage Management ............. 55

Figure 40. Areas Identified for Area Based Interventions in Tirunelveli ... 62

List of Tables

Table 1. About Tirunelveli ......................................................................... 11

Table 2. Population growth in Tirunelveli ................................................. 11

Table 3. Employment Characteristics ........................................................ 13

Table 4. Length of Road in the City ........................................................... 17

Table 5. Sewer System in Tirunelveli ......................................................... 19

Table 6. Storm Water Drainage in the City................................................ 20

Table 7. Status of Education- Schools ....................................................... 21

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Figure 1. Developing Smart City Proposal

Figure 2. MoUDs Assessment Criteria

1. Smart City- An Introduction

A Smart City Plan must build upon the City’s Current Realities,

Future Aspirations and align with MoUD’s Assessment Criteria.

The Smart City Proposal should consist of

a. Smart City Vision – How do City Government and

Citizens visualize the city’s growth in the near future?

b. Pan-City Initiative(s) – Application of smart solution to

existing city-wide infrastructure to benefit entire

population in the City.

c. Area Based Initiative(s) – City can either improve its

existing infrastructure (retrofitting), renew

(Redevelopment) or extend the city (Greenfield)

Figure 2 describes MoUD’s basic assessment criteria for

selection of cities in “Smart City Challenge.

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Figure 3. Core Philosophy- Smart City Plan

1.2. Our Core Philosophy

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Government/Corporation

Citizen

Vision for

Smart City

Figure 4. Developing Vision for Smart City

Figure 5. Developing Pan City Initiative

1.3. Approach and Methodology

Smart City Vision

Extensive Stakeholder consultations were conducted

with the city’s leadership and the citizens to identify the

key priorities. Figure 4 and 5 represent the approaches

proposed to help the city identify the pan-city and area-

based solutions.

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Figure 4. Developing Area Based Initiative

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2. City Profile

2.1. About the City- An Overview

Tirunelveli Municipal Corporation (TMC) commands a

pivotal position in the southern region of Tamil Nadu. The

city is a popular pilgrimage and educational centre. It was

known as the ‘Oxford of Tamil Nadu’ in the sixties of the

last century, because of the establishment of several

colleges and other educational centres in the city. It is

also known as one of the twin towns - Tirunelveli and

Palayamkottai. The river Thamarabharani bifurcates these

two towns. The entire city consists of four distinct urban

settlements that are separated by agriculture fields. The

city’s growth has been stifled due to the lack of proper

planning efforts and untapped revenue generation

potential across sectors. The city has taken up measures

to improve the existing situation, but it has met with

limited success, as it lacks an integrated approach to town

development.

2.2. History

The history of Tirunelveli was researched by Robert

Caldwell, one of the Christian missionaries who visited the

area in the nineteenth century for the purpose of both

promoting their religious beliefs and educating the

people. Tirunelveli had been under the prominence of the

Pandya kings, serving as their secondary capital while

Madurai remained its primary capital. It was an important

city of the Chola kingdom (c.900-1200) and of the

Vijayanagar Empire. The city was the chief commercial

town in the period of Arcot Nawabs and Nayaks. They

were among the various ruling dynasties of Tamil Nadu. In

fact, they called the city "Nellai Seemai", with Seemai

meaning a developed foreign town. It was the Nayaks

Figure 5. Tirunelveli

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who, in 1781, granted its revenues and local

administration to the British. In 1801, it was annexed by

the British, who governed it until India achieved

independence in 1947.

On acquisition from the Nawab of Arcot in 1801, the

British anglicized its name as Tinnevelly and made it the

headquarters of Tirunelveli district. This happened

despite the fact that their administrative and military

headquarters was located in Palayamkottai (which was

also anglicized as Palankottah), during their operations

against the Palayakars. Post-independence, both towns

reverted to their original names.

2.3. Geography

Tirunelveli is located at 8.73°N 77.7°E. It has an average

elevation of 47 meters above mean sea level (154 ft). It is

located in the southern-most tip of the Deccan plateau.

Tirunelveli is an important junction in the National

Highway No 7 connecting India from the North to South

(Kashmir to Kanyakumari). The nearest pivotal towns are:

Gangaikondan in the north, Tuticorin in the east,

Sengottai and Alangulam in the west, Kalakkad in the

southwest and Nanguneri in the south. It is also flanked

by the state of Kerala to the west, Gulf of Mannar and the

districts of Virudhunagar, Thoothukudi and

Kanniyakumari. Thamiraparani river roughly divides the

city into the Tirunelveli area and the Palayamkottai area.

The major lakes in the city are Nainar lake and

Figure 6. Nellaiappar Temple

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Udayarpetti lake. Three rivers (Chitraru, Thamirabarani

and Kothandarama river) converge at a place called

Sivalai, making the area very fertile. The closest town to

this location is Alangaraperi.

2.4. Climate and Rainfall

The climate of Tirunelveli is generally hot, humid and said

to be equable. The average temperature during summer

(March to June) ranges from 25 to 41° Celsius and 18 to

29°C during the rest of the year. The mean daily minimum

in these months is about 22 to 23°C. The average annual

rainfall is 680 mm, most of which occurs during the

northeast monsoon. Since the economy of the district is

primarily based on agriculture, fluctuations in the

monsoon rains or flooding of the Thamarabarani river has

an immediate impact on the livelihood in the area.

2.5. Overview of the ULB and Demographics

Tirunelveli and Palayamkottai are the important towns of

the Tirunelveli Corporation limit. Tirunelveli is situated on

the left bank of Tamiraparani River and Palayamkottai on

the right bank. Palayamkottai as administrative

headquarters and with the establishment of educational

institutions industries and government offices, exhibited

remarkable development. In the year 1948, a portion of

Melepalayam village was deleted from this limit of

Palayamkottai Town and was constituted as a separate

Municipal Town with effect from 1.10.1948. These three

Municipal Towns with few surrounding villages have been

merged together to form Tirunelveli Municipal

Corporation. The corporation of Tirunelveli was

constituted in 1994 by merging Tirunelveli, Palayamkottai,

Melapalayam municipality, Thatchanallur town

panchayats and 11 village panchayats.

For administrative purposes, the city is divided in to four

zones viz. Tirunelveli, Palayamkottai, Melapalayam and

Thatchanallur. Further, these four zones are divided into

55 wards. As of 2001 the India census Tirunelveli had a

population of 411,298. Males constitute 49% of the

population and females 51%. As of 2011 census of India,

Tirunelveli had a total population of 473,637. Males

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constitute 49% of the population and females 51%. The

city has an average literacy rate of 78%, higher than the

national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 83%, and

female literacy is 73%. In Tirunelveli, 10% of the

population is under six years of age.

About Tirunelveli

1 Area of the Municipal Corporation (sq.km) 108.65

2 Area of the Urban Development Authority

(sq.km)

306

3 Number of Zones 4

4 Number of Wards 55

5 Total Population as per Census 2011 473637

6 Total Number of Households as per

Census 2011

120466

Table 1. About Tirunelveli

Among the Municipal Corporations, Tirunelveli has been

identified with a gender ratio skewed towards females,

with 1,024 females for every 1,000 males. The growth

rate of urban agglomeration is 20.22%. Table 2.1 provides

the complete information about the ULB. Table 2.2 shows

the population growth in the Tirunelveli Corporation, it

can be seen that on rise and fall is noticed from decade to

decade. However, as evident from the graph on

population growth in Tirunelveli City, the growth has

been slowing over the past decade.

Year Population

%

Population

Growth

Population

Density (Person

sq.km.)

1971 241013 2218

1981 291104 20.78 2679

1991 321454 10.43 2958

2001 411831 28.12 3790

2011 473637 15.29 4370

Table 2. Population growth in Tirunelveli

Over the last decade, the population of the town has

increased from 321,454 in 1991 to 474,838 in 2011. The

town is spread over an area of 108.65 sq. km covering 55

wards. The gross population density has increased to

4370 persons per sq. kilometre (km) in 2011 from 2218

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1971 1981 1991 2001 20112021

(Projected)2031

(Projected)

Population 241013 291104 321454 411831 473637 561653 666025

0

100000

200000

300000

400000

500000

600000

700000P

op

ula

tio

n

Year

Population Growth in Tirunelveli

persons per sq. km in 1971.

There had been some considerable fluctuations in

population growth, during the past decades. It has

registered a steep variation during the decades 1971-

1981, 1991-2001 as 20.78% and 28.12% respectively in

Corporation area. This may be attributable to the various

aspects like the formation of the Corporation and other

public and private offices and Institutions etc., The steep

down in variation noted in 1981 to 2001 is due to the

residential growth moved to outside three Municipal limit

at that period.

Figure 7. Population Growth in Tirunelveli

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Male70%

Female30%

Working Population

127710

54761

105949

185217

Male

Female

Employed Unemployed

2.6. Employment

Employment Characteristics in the City

Male Female

Total Population= 473637 233659 239978

Working Population= 182471 127710 54761

% Employment out of the Total

Population 54.66% 22.82%

% Unemployed 45.34% 77.18%

Overall Unemployment Rate 61.47%

Table 3. Employment Characteristics

• The City has a high unemployment rate of 61.47%

out of the total population in the city

• Workforce participation rate is only 38.5% in the

total city population

• Women contribute to a significant chunk of the

unemployment share - 77.18% of the total women

are unemployed as per Census 2011.

Figure 9. Working Population in Tirunelveli

Figure 8. Gender wise Employment characteristics

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Residential59%

Commercial4%

Industrial11%

Educational12%

Public and Semi Public

14%

Developed Area- Breakup

2.7. Land Use Pattern

As per the Land use Map,2005, prepared by Town & Country

Planning Department, the predominant Land use envisaged for

this Municipal Area is that of Residential use (1202.18 Hectares -

58.94% of Developed Area ) which is accommodated in 11.06% of

the total Municipal Area. However the Educational Land use

(11.70%), the Public and Semi-Public Land use (14.27%) and the

Industrial Land use (10.59%) shares almost equal Percentage. It is

to be noted that the Transportation (Roads) too, occupy a major

percentage (6.09%) of the total Municipal Area, due to the

presence of National Highway, State Highway, Major / Other

District Roads within the town limits. High Dense Commercial

Activity (4.50%) gives a Commercial Tinge to this Municipal Area.

The detailed breakup of the developed and the undeveloped area

is given in the table alongside.

Developed Area (in hectares)

Undeveloped Area (in hectares)

Residential 1202.28 Dry Land 407.80

Commercial 91.83 Wet Land 4027.03

Industrial 216.02 Transportation 661.22

Educational 238.74 Water Bodies 3447.60

Public and Semi Public 290.98 Hillock 285.60

Sub Total 2039.85 Sub Total 8829.25

Figure 10. Break up of the Developed Area

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Comparison of the Existing Master Plan 2005 with the Proposed Land Use Plan 2021

• The comparison of the existing land use plan 2005 with the proposed land use plan for the year 2021, clearly shows that

there has been a significant decrease in the agriculture land use and a corresponding increase in the residential land use

• This shows that there might be significant pressure on the existing infrastructure in the future if no considerable

improvements are being carried out.

Figure 11. Existing and Proposed Land Use Plan in Tirunelveli

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2.8. Road Network

The total road network of Corporation Area is about 950

Km, out of which 85% of roads under Corporation

maintenance and remaining are highways (National highway

(NHs), state highway (SHs), Major district Roads (MDRs) and

Minor district Roads (ODRs). The city has an irregular road

network comprising of major roads, which are almost single

lane, intermediate lane, two lanes and four lanes wide. A

conspicuous feature of the layout of arteries is that all of

them are linked with the main transport artery, the Grand

Trunk Road which passes through the heart of the area and

hence interlinked with each other.

The road conditions are bad inside the city, but the road

capacity is reduced due to the presence of a large number of

slow moving vehicles and idle parking. There is a high level

of conflict between pedestrians and vehicular traffic in

several parts. The city comprises of closely spaced

residential areas. The wholesale and retail trade activities

are also located in this part of the city which further creates

congestion and bottlenecks in the city.

Figure 12. Map showing the road network in Tirunelveli

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Corporation91%

Highway Department

9%

Road Maintenance

Description Length (km)

NH (National Highway) 15.00

SH (State Highway) 30.30

MDR (Major District Road) 30.30

ODR (Other District Road) 7.00

Roads maintained by the Corporation

857.73

Table 4. Length of Road in the City

As evident from the above figure, more than 90% of the roads in the city are under the Corporation

Figure 13. Maintenance of Roads

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2.9. Water Supply

Tirunelveli Municipal Corporation area consists of four-

distinct urban settlements as zones separated by the

agriculture fields. Constituent Local Bodies got its own

protected water supply scheme before formation of

Municipal Corporation in 1994.

• 11 Nos. of water supply systems have been implemented

under different periods from 1955 to 2005 to the then

Urban Local Bodies viz., Palayamkottai, Melapalayam,

Thachanallur and Tirunelveli

• After 1994, Two water supply schemes were implemented.

There are 11 nos of water supply systems with separate

Head works, Pumping systems, and Service Reservoirs and

Distribution systems. Combined Designed capacity and

present quantum of supply is about 67.15

MLD and 23 MLD respectively.

• All the Head works for the 11 systems are located at

Thamirabharani River

• 100% Ward Coverage by the Existing Water Supply System

• An average of 116 lpcd of water is supplied through the

system in the city

• Some of the issues in the existing water supply system

include:

➢ Present water sources are inadequate to meet the

present and the future demand

➢ Varying water supply quantity over the city

Figure 14. Map showing the Major Water Head works in the City

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2.10. Sewerage

The major features of the sewerage system in the city of

Tirunelveli are as listed below:

• Existing Under Ground Sewerage System (UGSS) in the

Corporation was implemented during the year 2005 and

was covering the main town and Palayam kottai arreas

• Small sewerage schemes have been provided in small

pockets of newly developing areas like Pothigai Nagar

where in sewage is allowed for open percolation in

vacant lands

• Maharaja Nagar is provided with covered drains which

is discharged onto the vacant lands

• The total area covered under sewerage is 40.02 sq. km.

which covers 36.8% of the total Corporation area

• The total sewer length is 187 km which is around 20% of

the total length of roads in the Corporation

• However the present sewer system is not enough to

cater to the future demand

Details about the Sewer System in Tirunelveli

No. Description Details

1 Total length of sewer main 187.272 km

a Zone-1 (Tirunelveli Corporation area

and Pettai)

17.20 km

b Zone-2 (Santhi Nagar,

Samathanapuram,Palayamkottai,

Maharaja Nagar, Pudupettai and

Vannarapettai)

59 km

c Zone-3 (Thiyagaraja Nagar, NGO –A,B,C

Colony, Perumalpuram & Melepalayam)

96 km

d Zone-4(TirunelveliJunction,C.N.Village,

Meenakshipuram, Sinthupoondurai and

South Balabaghyanagar)

15.072 km

2 Pumping Main (PSC) 12.55 km

3 Total No. of Manholes 7924 nos.

4 Pumping Stations 4 nos.

Table 5. Sewer System in Tirunelveli

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2.11. Storm Water Drainage System

• Tirunelveli city has three major canals which carries

storm water during rainy season’s viz., Kodagan Channel,

Tirunelveli channel and Palayam channel

• A few areas only have been covered by the Storm Water

Drainage system of which most of them are inner roads

and along the newly constructed PCC roads

• The contours in the city are such that the run off gets

directed to the Tamirabharani River

• Some of the issues faced by the system are:

• Deposition of grit

• Blockages in the system

Details about the Storm Water Drainage in the Corporation

Zone Length (km)

Tirunelveli 87.2

Palayamkottai 84.9

Melapalayam 83.2

Thatchanulur 31.6

Total Length 286.9 Table 6. Storm Water Drainage in the City

Figure 15. Map showing the gradients in the City

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Other Sectors- A Snapshot

2.12. Housing

• Residential area occupies 1202.28 hectares which

contributes 58.94% of the developed area and

11.06% of developed area

• Residential developments are mainly concentrated

in the heart of Tirunelveli town, Pettai,

Kokkirakulam, Vannarapettai and the area between

Tiruchendur Road and Trivandrum Road

2.13. Slums

• The city has 68 pockets of slums spread across 36

wards out of the 55 wards

• Slum population constitutes nearly one-fourth

(22.55%) of the total population in the Corporation

• Thatchanallur zone has the highest share wherein

40% consists of slum

2.14. Commercial

• Commercial institutions in the Corporation can be

classified into three categories

✓ Wholesale trading centers

✓ Retail shops

✓ Private offices and other commercial

establishments

2.15. Education

• Approximately 146 educational institutions most of

which are maintained by the Private sector

• The Schools are mainly run by the Private sector

• The Corporation has 23 primary schools, 5 Middle

and Higher Secondary Schools

Table 7. Status of Education- Schools

Corporation33%

Private67%

Status of Education- Schools

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2.16. Health Care

• Corporation maintains two hospitals, four Allopathic

dispensaries, two Sidda dispensaries and eight Maternity

centers

• The major hospital in the Tirunelveli Corporation area Is

the Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital which is located

in an extensive area of about 300 acres land

• Majority of the health care facilities are in the Private

sector as given in the figure below:

Figure 16. Breakup of Health Care Facilities

Figure 17. Map showing the healthcare facilities in Tirunelveli District

Public12%

Private88%

Health Care Facilities

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3. Stakeholder Consultation

3.1. Citizen Engagement The objective of the smart city mission is to promote cities that

provide core infrastructure and give a decent quality of life to its

citizens, a clean and sustainable environment and application of

‘Smart’ Solutions. The focus is on sustainable and inclusive

development, placing an emphasis on citizen engagement as a

significant part of the smart city planning process.

1. Introduction to the Structure of Citizen Engagement

The overall citizen engagement attempts to target and

understand the Vision for a Smart Tirunelveli from the four major

pillars of the society,

a. Citizens

b. Learned Society

c. formal & informal sectors

d. Associations

2. Key Objectives of Stakeholder engagement

(i) To develop a common vision for future development

under the smart cities programme

(ii) To identify service areas demanding improvement

(iii) Crowd-source solutions for the identified problems

Figure 18. Citizen Engagement

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3. Types of Participants Interviewed and Mode(s) of

interview/discussion

The Smart city guidelines specify Citizen Engagement

as an essential part of the planning process. The

citizen engagement for Tirunelveli, was started (as

per the recommendations of the Corporation

commissioner) by interacting with residents who

were on their morning walk at V.O.C grounds in

Pallayamkottai. This was an initial dipstick survey

undertaken in order to gain a basic understanding of

the resident’s needs, aims and aspirations before

devising a more comprehensive questionnaire.

a. To develop a common vision for future

development under the smart cities

programme

Participant Type Mode of Outreach

Residents Interview

Community Semi structured interviews across Tirunelveli City in 46 Major Locations

Questions were asked to identify the smart city vision of the

citizens. The questions are designed based on identity, icon,

culture and attitude and by comparison.

During this interaction it was felt that the needs of the

residents were divided based on their gender. While men

spoke of traffic congestion and lack of employment

opportunities as key issues, the concerns of women were

irregularity in water supply and poor sanitation in the city.

Following this a detailed questionnaire was drawn up and

ward wise survey was conducted.

Based on these discussions and review of the secondary

literature a SWOT analysis was performed and the city vision

statement was drawn from the SWOT analysis. The

outcomes of the SWOT analysis and the City Vision are

outlined below:

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Figure 19. SWOT Analysis

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3.2. Developing Smart City Vision

Figure 20. Developing Smart City Vision

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Figure 21. Vision Statement

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b. To identify service areas demanding

improvement

Participant Type Mode of Outreach

Community organizers – Municipal Corporation of

Tirunelveli

Semi-structured interview

Assistant Engineers of the Municipal Corporation

Semi-structured interview

Community Engagement Open discussion

NGOs Interview

Chamber of Commerce Semi-structured interview

Business owners Semi-structured interview

Executive Engineer Semi-structured interview

Inspector of Traffic Police Open Discussion

Deputy Commissioner of Traffic

Semi-structured interview

Collector Open Discussion

Deputy Collector of Tirunelveli Open Discussion

Superintendent of Police Semi-structured interview

Human Rights Activist Semi-structured interview

Members of the Press Open Discussion

Standing counsel of the Municipal Corporation

Open discussion

Students and Learned community

Open Discussion

Mayor of Tirunelveli Semi-structured

Corporation interview

HNI Includes Social Activists, Rotarians & Major

Businessmen in the City

Open Discussion

Non-resident citizens of Tirunelveli

Discussions

The questionnaire used to identify the service areas

demanding improvement was segmented into two sections.

The first section is a set of questions which intends to serve

as a warm up session to get people acquainted with the idea

of a smart city and set the pace for a more detailed

interaction.

c. Crowd-source solutions for the identified

problems

Participant Type Mode of Outreach

Citizens Facebook

Citizens Email

Citizens SMS/ Whatsapp

Citizens Phone Calls

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4. A summary of the Inputs provided on the city’s vision by

stakeholder type

Type of Stakeholder

Vision Inputs (a summary)

Citizens

The interactions with the citizens/ residents of the city as interviews, semi-structured interviews, open forum discussions revealed eight areas as problem theme Safety concerns, regularization of the frequency of water supply and creation of job opportunities were the most commonly cited. The citizens were mainly concerned about the safety and security in the city due to the increase in crime and accident rates over the years.

Mayor

The Mayor of Tirunelveli Corporation sought for a greener Tirunelveli which will also provide accessible recreation to all residents. The Mayor’s vision was to form one park in each ward and then hand it over to the local residential welfare associations to be maintained by them. Building eco-parks for recreation and ensuring that government processes become more citizen friendly were identified as priorities.

Commissioner

The Commissioner of Tirunelveli Municipal corporations identified cow/dog menace and traffic as major problems in the city. The solutions proposed by him for traffic congestion was to re-lay the old road along the banks of the Tamrabarani river.

Collector

During our meeting the collector emphasized on implementing an effective Solid waste management system through the city by laying stress on source segregation and using local parks as compost pits. He also sought for a water discharge monitoring system and a more robust e-governance framework for Tirunelveli

Other Corporation staff

Impromptu discussions and semi-structured interviews with Corporation staff have helped determine that regularisation of water supply and dealing with traffic congestion at certain key locations in the city at peak hours is the smart city vision of majority of the staff in the city.

Education institution (Higher

learning)

The students and professors in the city expressed their desitre for greater economic opportunity in the city and for Tirunelveli to emerge as a vibrant economic node in the southern part of the state. They also sought greater

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transparency and accountability in the governance process

Chamber of Commerce

Members of the Chamber of Commerce have ascertained that their vision for a smarter Tirunelveli puts ease of doing business as a top priority. They also aimed for transparent governance and regulated water supply. Some of the businessmen felt that innovation in agriculture can help improve the city as large expanses of land inside the city are still used for agriculture.

Executive Engineer

The executive engineer of the corporation of Tirunelveli sought for the need to build recreational infrastructure and multi-level car park facilities to reduce congestion in key locations. He also emphasized on the importance of lay scheme roads to divert traffic at strategic traffic congestion points in the city.

Deputy Commissioner of

Traffic

The DC Traffic identified Traffic congestion in key areas in the city as his major problem. He said that this was only a problem during peak hours and was caused by heavy vehicles crossing the city roads at all hours. He proposed laying a ring road on the north similar to the South Bypass road to divert heavy vehicle traffic which now goes through the city into the outskirts and

thus eliminating congestion. A subway for pedestrians at the Tirunelveli junction which is a hub of commercial activity as well as the region where a bus stand and the railway station are located will remove congestion at this point and reduce accidents.

NGO

During our meeting with NGOs operating in Tirunelveli city; employment opportunities, recreation and irregularity in water supply are the critical problem areas identified by them. Skill development has been proposed as a solution to make all college students job ready as well as reduce the communal unrest in the city. Cleaning and de-silting of water bodies was also considered a key priority. They also proposed involving NGOs and school students for awareness programs on issues relating to public health and cleanliness.

RWA

Health issues caused by open drainage, absence of functional street lights in many areas, bad road conditions and management of domestic waste was the issues they brought up during the meeting. One unanimous suggestions was the necessity for more recreation centres. The request was that underground

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drainage systems to be built in all parts of the city. They also stressed on re-laying of bad roads.

Community Engagement

Community engagement sessions were organised with the help of community organisers in three zones of the Corporation. These meetings were held as open forum discussion for problem identification. Regularisation of water supply, improvement in the overall safety and security situation in the city, increased number of street lights and assured functioning of existing street lights, close open drainage and construct underground drainage to combat health issues were some of the key solutions proposed

HNI

Lack of recreational activity was pointed out by the High Network Individuals in the city. They proposed parks which can be set up and maintained by commercial establishments and in public-private partnership models. They also stressed on the importance of awareness programs that can educate people on management of domestic waste and source segregation of waste as well as keep people informed about government

schemes so that the public is directly benefitted. They also emphasized on the need for greater transparency in governance.

Community Organizers

The community organizers spoke of the grievances that residents have brought to them over the years. Irregularity in water supply and Traffic congestion during peaks were the key challenges identified. The traffic problem was observed to be compounded by private players who run unorganized bus services. Health issues caused by open drainage in most parts of the city are another major problem.

What did the Citizens Say?

Sl. No. Sectors Description

1 Employment

Improve job opportunities in the City by setting up better infrastructure ecosystem for industries and companies in Tirunelveli City

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2 Law & Order, Safety and Security

Improve the overall safety and security in the city. Decrease in overall crime rates in the city

3 Water Supply (A) Frequency; (B) Quantity Delivered; (C) Water Leakage; (D) Improper Timings

4 Drainage (A) Absence of Drainage; (B) Blockage in Drainage

5 Recreation Absence of (A) Parks, (B) Playgrounds; (C) Public Places

6 Road Improvement

Improvement in Road Infrastructure

7 Solid Waste Management

(A) Poor road cleaning; (B) Waste on road sides; (C) Lack of Hygiene

8 Connectivity by public transport

Poor bus frequency; (B) Absence of nearby Bus Route

9 Traffic Congestion

Need for alternative roads/routes to avoid congestion in the city

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Figure 22. Open Group Discussion- Community

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Figure 23. Open Group Discussions- Students and Officials

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Figure 24. Engagement with Leadership

Leadership Engagement included discussions with various officials of the Government and the Civil Society was conducted to identify

the sectors for improvement. This is given in the following figure:

3.3. Leadership Engagement

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4. Identifying Sectors for Improvement

Figure 25. Identified Sectors for Improvement based on Citizen and Leadership Engagement

Based on the consultations with the citizen and the leadership, the following sectors were for improvement were prioritized.

The sectors which are in Red are accorded High Priority, whereas Orange is for Medium Priority.

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Pan City Initiatives

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5. Pan City Initiative

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5.1. Employment

Citizen’s access to job/employment was highlighted in the citizen

engagement process. Approach to improving various aspects of

employment can be classified as three fold approach

A. Demand -

Creating an enabling environment for employers

B. Supply -

Improving the employability of the candidates

C. Eco System

Create an eco system where the demand and supply are

matching

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A. Demand

➢ Create an enabling environment for setting up business

➢ Single Window Clearance for Businesses

• Avoiding repetitive submission of same piece of information to various Government

agencies

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A. Demand (Contd.)

2) Custom Designed Internship Programmes with the

Government / Corporation

• Internship Programmes at various Departments of the

Government / Corporation

• Changing role of Government from Facilitator to

Employer

• The internships may cover wide range of areas ranging

from mapping, data entry, surveys etc.

B. Supply

Some of the measures that can be adopted to improve the supply characteristics of the labour market are given

below:

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A. Ecosystem

➢ Establishing Labour Management Information System (LMIS)

➢ A single window that provides all information regarding

labour market

➢ Has the capability to collect, evaluate and disseminate

labour market information to all stakeholders

➢ Can be defined as a market of demand and supply

components

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5.2. Emergency Response and Monitoring System

(EMRS)

Tirunelveli is vulnerable to a variety of emergencies and

anti-social activities with unknown situational variables,

unpredictable temporal and spatial constraints that

potentially threaten ecosystem in the city. The proposed

pan city initiative involves the establishment of an

Integrated Emergency Monitoring and Response System

(EMRS) which provides a systematic, proactive approach to

guide departments to co-ordinate and work seamlessly to

prevent protect and respond to emergencies. The system

involves Incident Monitoring, Multiagency Co-ordination

and Public Information. EMRS integrates historical and real

time data on incidents and supplementing the City’s

response capabilities. EMRS aims to reduce crime rates,

fatalities and ensure citizen safety and security in Tirunelveli

City.

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Unified Public Information and Reporting

System-

Mobile app and Single window Emergency Call

System

Integrates existing reporting system at different

department levels and combines them into one single

system

GIS based Reporting System—

The incident will be recorded spatially through GIS

and nearest point of emergency services would be

contacted thereby reducing the response time to

attend to the emergency

Historical data would also be recorded to create

crime heat maps, fire hazard spots and health care

facilities which help the public in better decision

making

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5.3. Integrated Water Management Systems

Existing Situation:

The Corporation is supplying 116 LPCD, ranking 4th best among

other Corporations in water supply in Tamil Nadu. However

citizens do not receive sufficient water at the receiving end. The

reasons could be attributed to

• Unequal Distribution of Water across the city

• Lack of accountancy and transparency in

Water Supply Distribution Levels in the system

One of the main reasons that is causing the unequal distribution

of water in the city as identified by the Corporation is due to the

variation in pressure in the system. In some areas, there is high

water pressure where as in some areas there is really low

pressure. This has been explained in the next page.

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Water Pressure Management

• One of the major reasons for unequal water distribution and

leakages is due to the absence of a proper pressure

management in the system

• Water pressure management involves adjusting water

pressure levels in the water supply system to save water

and improve service levels to the customers

• High water pressure results in water main bursts, leaks and

wastages

• Water pressure varies in the zone depending on the

distance and the elevation with respect to the reservoir

Figure 26. Variation of Water Pressure in the Area

Water pressure management is the use of pressure

regulating valves and system monitoring points to

achieve more consistent and lower water pressure

levels across the water supply network

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• In the water distribution system, the critical point (PCP) is the one which has the minimum pressure rate

• Pressure Management Strategies should target this critical point where the pressure is minimum

Figure 27. Critical Point in the Water Distribution System

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Figure 28. Valve Chamber

Figure 29. Interface for Monitoring Pressure in the Water Distribution System

• Low cost monitoring units will be

installed at major valve points and critical

pressure points of the water distribution

system

• The pressure at these points will be

monitored regularly and adjustments will

be made manually such that an optimum

pressure is maintained at major points

• Critical pressure values will be set in the

software interface and an SMS will be

sent to the concerned valve operator and

engineer when the critical pressure has

been reached

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Figure 30. Automatic SMS Alert Systems to Valve Operators

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• The Water Pressure and Flow Rate readings

can be read through the display units

• Pressure Data loggers can be fitted along

with the display unit, typically has a large

memory buffer to store over 81,000 water

pressure readings with user defined

intervals from 1 per second to more than 1

per year

• Pressure Log Audits can be conducted

monthly once to authenticate the factual

accuracy of Mobile App Image readings sent

daily.

Figure 31. Data Logger

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A central monitoring dashboard can be made accessible for the Mayor, Collector, Commissioner, Executive Engineer, and the Zonal

Engineers to Monitor the entire Water Transmission Network in Tirunelveli City

Figure 32. Dashboard for Central Water Distribution System

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Water Supply Portal – Mobile App

5.3.1. Water Quality Management System

• All Corporation and Municipalities in Tamil Nadu report

water data to the central Water Supply Portal on a daily

basis. This data is being monitored by the respective

department head in the ULB and the Directorate’s office to

monitor the level of service delivery by the City

Government.

• However, data like Water Quality is evaluated only once in

a month by the TWAD board and/or by King’s Institute of

Preventive Medicine Campus, Guindy.

• Parameters like E.Coli needs to be detected at the

distribution head before distributing it to the Citizen

however the traditional tests take up to 24 hours to obtain

results, and are incapable of monitoring pathogens that

needs to be detected in real-time.

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HydroBox to measure Temperature, Turbidity,

Conductivity, O2 content, pH, Redox Potential / ORP,

Chlorine, Chloroxide, Ozone, Hydrocarbons, NO3,

NO3-N

BioSentry to measure E.coli, Salmonella,

Shigella, Pseudomonas, Legionella

Figure 33 Water Quality Monitoring- Process

Figure 35. Hydrobox

Figure 34. Bio Sentry

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• The use of integrated and intelligent sensors to operate in real-time, with the ability to recognize and diagnose day-to-day

and perhaps minute-to-minute water quality disturbances can monitor water quality through the detection of intentional

or operational intrusion events, thus improving water security.

• When contamination events are recognized in real-time, a rapid response can minimize the impact of these contamination

events and limit the potential for adverse effects

Figure 36. Water Quality Monitoring System Dashboard

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• Incorporating Management Information

System (MIS) in Septage can help the City

Corporation to monitor and regulate de-

sludging activities as per the Septage

Management Guidelines established by

Government of Tamil Nadu in 2014

• An illustrative diagram of the monitoring

dashboard is given in the figure alongside

• The detailed MIS System which is prepared can

map the household level data across the City.

This MIS can further be enhanced for

Property Tax Assessments, Disaster

Management Systems, etc.

5.3.2. ICT Enabled Septage Management

Figure 37. Illustrative MIS Dashboard for Septage Management

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Area Based Initiatives

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6. Area Based Initiatives

6.1. City Characteristics

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Observations- Tirunelveli City

1. Clear divisions of neighborhoods.

2. Huge disparity in development.

3. High percentage of green between districts.

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City Potential:

• The indigenous features are very strong

.

• Untapped layers of open space, which

could be a unifying factor

• The Network system between the

districts and within themselves are very

strong

• Presence of a natural Eco-system can be

converted to revenue generators for

the city

• The availability of large parcels of vacant

land within the core, set amidst

abundant greenery, well connected

roads, has great real estate potential

• Future development can create new

layers of revenue, employment and

tourism Potential Areas for Area Based Development

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Layered City

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• Based on the various stakeholder consultations including discussions with the Corporation officials, were carried out to

determine the area based interventions in the City

• Area based interventions are mainly carried out in three models:

▪ Retrofitting

▪ Redevelopment

▪ Greenfield development

• However based on the city characteristics and preliminary stakeholder discussions, green field development will not be

possible in the city considering various factors such as availability of land and other socio economic and political factors.

• Hence a Retrofitting and Redevelopment model of area based development is being evaluated for the city

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Figure 38. Areas Identified for Area Based Interventions in Tirunelveli

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Programme Convergence for Smart

City Funding

I

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7. Programme Convergence for Smart City

Funding

Comprehensive development occurs in areas by integrating the

physical, institutional, social and economic infrastructure. Many of

the sectoral schemes of the Government converge in this goal,

although the path is different. There is a strong complementarity

between the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban

Transformation (AMRUT) and Smart Cities Mission in achieving

urban transformation. While AMRUT follows a project-based

approach, the Smart Cities Mission follows an area-based strategy.

Similarly, great benefit can be derived by seeking convergence of

other Central and State Government Programs/Schemes with the

Smart Cities Mission. At the planning itself the convergence of

various proposed projects of the Smart City Project needs to be

explored further by comparing with AMRUT, Swachh Bharat

Mission (SBM), National Heritage City Development and

Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY), Digital India, Skill development,

Housing for All, construction of Museums funded by the Culture

Department

and other programs connected to social infrastructure such as

Health, Education and Culture.

The proposed Smart City initiatives viz., Pan city and Area based

projects were compared with other Government programmes such

that maximum benefits can be obtained by the City.

• The City’s present gradient does not allow to have a

centralized sewer system as the variation in the gradient is

highly uneven across the city

• Hence to carry the sewage against the gradient, a lot of

pumping is needed in the sewer system to counter the

slope

• It is highly uneconomical over the longer periods to sustain

this

• To cover the entire the city through a centralized sewer

system requires a very high Operation and Maintenance

cost which is highly unsustainable over a long period of

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Key Contacts

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Key Contacts

Ms. Deepa Karthykeyan Director Athena Infonomics India Private Limited 113-114, 6th Floor, B Block Mena Kampala Arcade Sir Theagaraya Road T. Nagar Chennai – 600 0017 Mobile: +91 99401 74545 Email: deepa.k@athenainfonomics.in

Mr. Sridhar

Business Development Manager Shah Technical Consultants Private Limited Old No. 43/2, New No.24/6, Vijyaraghava Road T. Nagar Chennai – 600017 Tel: +91 44 28150573, 74 r.sridhar.email@gmail.com

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