GPS will make Nashik efficient

NASHIK: Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) will soon use Global Positioning System (GPS) for increasing its efficiency in civic administration. Nashik is among the eight cities chosen for a pilot project that is being conducted by Maharashtra Remote Sensing Application Centre (MRSAC), Nagpur in co-ordination with NMC.

The satellite imagery of Nashik has been done by the American Quick Bird Satellite, which gives a picture data of .6 mts resolution, said superintendent engineer of NMC and in-charge of the project M V Ranade. "The base data will be ready within a month and will be utilised as civil information system," said Balamwar, an MRSAC scientist. GIS will be utilised for monitoring civic works like water supply, roads, under ground and over ground systems, slums, encroachment and unauthorised development. "Under the project, the government has given priority to monitoring unauthorised development, but it will be useful for many other civic administration purposes," said Ranade.

Nashik has many sensitive establishments like the School of Artillery, India Security Press, Central Jail and Currency Note Press. So the data has been sent for defense approval. Once GIS is in place, GPS will also be added. GPS will allow the vehicle tracking system which will be applied to the Ghantagadi project ------ the house-to-house collection of garbage by vehicles. 150 vehicles will be fitted with GPS. The GPS will be useful in effective decision-making for smoothening civic administration. The cost of the project is over Rs 16 crores.