Thiruvananthapuram has transformed urban living through smart roads, electric mobility, solar-powered public buildings, and real-time governance via its Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC). These initiatives have not only modernized transport and energy systems but also earned the city global acclaim, including the prestigious UN-Habitat Sustainable Development Award. Rahul Krishna Sharma, IAS, Chief Executive Officer, Thiruvananthapuram Smart City Limited, shares more in an exclusive interview with Krishna Mishra of Elets News Network (ENN).
Thiruvananthapuram has been ranked as one of the top smart cities in terms of various parameters. Could you please highlight some of your flagship initiatives under your leadership that you have been able to implement in Smart City Thiruvananthapuram?
Thiruvananthapuram embarked on its smart city journey in 2018 after being selected in 2017 when our smart city proposal was submitted. By late 2024, we successfully completed all planned projects. I’ve broadly categorized these initiatives into four or five key areas. Primarily, our projects focused on transportation and mobility, followed by significant interventions in the energy sector. Thirdly, we dedicated substantial effort to e-governance.
Regarding transportation and mobility, as one can observe in the city, the core urban areas have been completely transformed. We’ve implemented smart roads, relocating utilities underground, bringing down overhead lines, and designing roads to be truly inclusive for pedestrians. These infrastructure enhancements have been built to last, anticipating no need for re-digging or rework for the next 20 to 30 years. This represents our strategic approach to physical infrastructure in the transportation and mobility sector.
Secondly, to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, we’ve introduced 113 electric buses in the city, deployed in collaboration with KSRTC. These buses are instrumental in curbing GHG emissions and maintaining the city’s biodiversity at an optimal level.
Furthermore, within the mobility sector, we’ve also upgraded our health inspectors’ fleet by replacing their older vehicles with electric vehicles (EVs). These EVs enable them to efficiently carry out their daily activities, including waste management monitoring and other statutory duties. Crucially, all these deployments, from smart roads to EV fleets, are fully integrated with our Integrated Command and Control Center (ICCC). This allows for real-time, daily monitoring of all assets, tracking their performance and operational efficiency.
The second crucial pillar I wish to highlight is our work in the energy sector. As you know, Kerala, specifically Thiruvananthapuram, is very close to the equator. Leveraging this proximity to harness abundant sunlight, we targeted approximately 515 government buildings for solarisation. Currently, we are generating around 16 megawatts of internal capacity, which is fed back into the grid. This initiative offers a dual benefit: it significantly reduces government utility costs and contributes to grid sustainability.
While other interventions, such as the rehabilitation of socially disadvantaged groups and e-governance initiatives, are also noteworthy, these primary areas are what I particularly wanted to emphasize for this interview. These efforts have been instrumental in our recognition. We were the first state to receive the UN-Habitat Global Sustainable Development Award and also the Best Smart City of the Year Award.
You mentioned the UN-Habitat Global Award. What category was that under?
This was for global sustainable development among cities. Five cities were selected across the world, and Thiruvananthapuram was fortunately one of them.
You are also leading the transport project, the Kerala State Transport Project (KSTP). Could you please elaborate on the activities of KSTP, particularly regarding the usage of technology and how you are integrating transport with the overall futuristic vision?
The Kerala State Transport Project (KSTP) primarily focuses on physical infrastructure development, specifically road construction. When Kerala experienced severe floods in 2018, the government launched the ‘Rebuild Kerala’ Initiative. This initiative encompassed various components, including those for the Local Self-Government Department and the Public Works Department (PWD).
Under the PWD, a critical component related to roads fell under the Rebuild Kerala Initiative, funded externally by two banks: the World Bank and the German Bank KfW. This externally aided program involves constructing 29 sets of roads across Kerala. I’m pleased to report that approximately 76% of the work is already completed, and we anticipate finishing most of the remaining work by December 2025.
This project is indeed more about creating physical infrastructure and establishing nodal points for physical communication. There isn’t significant technological deployment within the road itself, unlike our smart city projects where we monitor traffic through the ICCC. However, we do employ technology for monitoring road assets and conducting videography during construction. So, while it’s fundamentally an infrastructure project, our approach ensures meticulous oversight.
The City’s Integrated Command and Control Center is now considered one of the model smart cities in the country. How is Thiruvananthapuram Smart City leveraging new technologies like AI, IoT, and real-time data for disaster management, traffic optimization, and public safety?
The Integrated Command and Control Center (ICCC) was a foundational project envisioned by the Smart City Mission, mandated for implementation across all 100 smart cities. We successfully implemented and inaugurated ours in January 2024. It encompasses numerous components, primarily guided by the five core components defined under the Smart City Mission.
However, we’ve utilized the ICCC as a fulcrum to truly expand our urban ecosystem. For instance, in the energy sector, all grid information from our 515 solarized buildings flows into the ICCC. Similarly, all bus monitoring data from our transport initiatives is integrated. The same applies to e-governance services and disaster management monitoring. These are the basic pillars from which real-time data flows, enabling decision-makers to make informed choices on a real-time basis.
Beyond these core functions, we’ve leveraged the ICCC’s robust system capacity, which allows for significant data analysis. We’ve integrated with numerous local colleges such as Digital Kerala University, Barton Engineering College, and College of Engineering Thiruvananthapuram. Our goal is to foster an ecosystem, an ‘incubation center’ under the ICCC’s umbrella, where students and colleges can flourish. Many colleges have developed excellent models. For example, using our real-time camera monitoring, some have developed an AI-based solid waste management monitoring tool. This tool provides real-time insights into waste management, significantly simplifying the health inspectors’ job in complying with statutory requirements.
Thiruvananthapuram is part of the CITIIS 2.0 program and has pledged a 20% reduction in greenhouse emissions by 2030. How is the Smart City project advancing climate resilience, particularly in areas like heat mitigation, energy-efficient infrastructure, and green mobility?
I believe I addressed this extensively in my previous answers concerning our energy sector interventions, particularly the solarization of government buildings and the deployment of electric buses. Those initiatives are directly aimed at achieving our climate resilience and emission reduction targets.
Sir, tell us something about CITIIS 2.0, because now CITIIS 1.0 is now coming to its closure. Now we enter into part 2 of the program. So, what would be the major focus of the Government of India as well as your own SPV in the second phase?
CITIIS 2.0 stands for ‘City Investments to Innovate, Integrate and Sustain.’ It’s essentially a theme-based program initiated by the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).
They initially invited proposals from all states, specifically focusing on integrated waste management solutions from across the 100 smart cities. Subsequently, they shortlisted around 85-86 smart cities for interviews. In January 2025, Thiruvananthapuram was selected as one of the smart cities for CITIIS 2.0. The core objective is for each selected city to implement its own integrated waste management solution.
Our primary goal is to reinvigorate and enhance the sustainability of our waste management supply chain, which spans from the consumer to the Material Collection Facility (MCF), Material Recovery Facility (MRF), and Resource Recovery Facility (RRF, ultimately feeding back into the circular economy. Currently, we face significant waste management challenges, and the principle of a circular economy hasn’t been fully realized, resulting in a lack of revenue generation from waste. To achieve saturation in waste management and firmly adhere to the principles of a circular economy, we submitted this proposal. We were fortunate to be selected with the support of the public and our dedicated staff. The Thiruvananthapuram Corporation and Smart City are jointly involved, and Smart City will remain active until 2027 to execute this program. We are confident we will deliver on this, just as we have with our Smart City program.
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As a young officer of the Indian Administrative Service, what are the typical challenges you face in discharging your governance obligations, and how do you see technology truly being a good friend to government officers in discharging their day-to-day roles and responsibilities, increasing their efficiency and enhancing their effectiveness?
That’s an excellent question. When it comes to mission-mode implementation and professional contract execution, contract management is absolutely key. Beyond that, what we require is seamless coordination between departments.
For instance, the creation of smart roads in a smart city isn’t a solitary task. It demands the involvement of the Water Authority, KSRTC for road diversions, crucial support from local communities, and cooperation from KSEB for electrical line management. All these parastatal agencies must collaborate, forming a unified team to work together effectively. So, inter-departmental coordination remains a primary challenge; you have to channelize communication in a proper and seamless manner and leverage it.
The second critical aspect of execution is contract management. You must ensure strict adherence to the terms and conditions of the contract while always safeguarding the state’s interests during execution. In terms of using technology, we have our own ERP system, and we actively monitor projects through a Project Management Information System (PMIS). This allows us to monitor all projects in a seamless manner. Furthermore, a dedicated board, chaired by the Chief Secretary, regularly reviews our projects, providing guidance and support whenever we encounter issues, ensuring we proceed effectively.
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