By Pratik Parikh

Assistant Vice President – Projects, Allied Digital Services Limited

Across the globe, urban centers are grappling with a dual reality—unprecedented growth and increasing complexity. With rising populations, mobility challenges, and heightened safety concerns, the demand for responsive governance has never been greater. Amidst this evolving landscape, a new opportunity has emerged: to harness technology not merely for control, but for anticipation and intelligence.

As a PMP®-certified project leader, I’ve had the privilege of overseeing several transformational surveillance infrastructure programs across India. One of the most impactful has been Pune’s City Surveillance (PCS) Project, where Allied Digital Services Limited played a pivotal role in redefining how a city perceives, understands, and secures itself. The PCS initiative is not just a technology deployment—it represents a strategic leap toward Cognitive Urbanism: cities that can think, adapt, and evolve.

Surveillance 1.0: From Deployment to Discipline

In 2015, Allied Digital was entrusted by the Government of Maharashtra – Home Department with Phase 1 of the PCS initiative. The objective was to deploy a robust surveillance grid of over 1,000 high-definition cameras—including PTZ, fixed, and ANPR units—across high-risk zones in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad.

The key components of this phase included:

• Deployment of 1,000+ HD cameras (PTZ, fixed, ANPR)
• Coverage across high-risk zones in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad
• Centralized Command & Control Center built on Tier 3 infrastructure
• Highly redundant MPLS-based optical fiber network
• Advanced Video Management System (VMS) with GIS intelligence
• Seamless integration with police stations, DCP offices, and district administration

Designing for Continuity: The O&M Mandate

Unlike conventional infrastructure projects, surveillance systems require continuous operational management. During the extended Operations & Maintenance (O&M) period, Allied Digital maintained peak SLA performance despite evolving threats and changing public behavior.

• Maintained high SLA performance over extended O&M period
• Adapted to emerging threats and behavioral patterns
• Focused on real-time actionable intelligence
• Ensured operational continuity and system reliability

Phase 2: From Surveillance to Civic Intelligence

In October 2024, Allied Digital was awarded Phase 2 of the PCS initiative, expanding the project into a more advanced, AI-driven ecosystem.

Scope Highlights:

• 4000+ cameras deployed across Phase 1 & Phase 2
• AI-enabled Command & Control Center
• Data center expansion and modernization
• Mobile surveillance vans with edge computing
• UAV drones for real-time aerial intelligence
• Pilot deployment at Bopdev Ghat (high-risk corridor)

Global Lessons, Local Innovations

Allied Digital delivers globally inspired solutions tailored to India’s unique ecosystem, adapting technologies like mobile surveillance and drones to local operational realities.

A Project Leader’s Playbook: 5 Strategic Lessons

• Design for Modularity: Enable future upgrades from AI to quantum security
• Govern with Data: Focus on insights, not just devices
• Balance Technology with Trust: Ensure privacy and transparency
• Operational Intelligence: Prioritize SLA performance over deployment speed
• Think Globally, Execute Locally: Align with national and international standards

The Road Ahead: Toward Cognitive Urbanism

• Exploring behavioral AI and federated threat learning
• Developing ethics-driven surveillance systems
• Building intelligent, adaptive urban ecosystems

Surveillance is no longer a passive tool—it is now an active civic capability. Pune’s journey demonstrates how cities can transform when public vision aligns with private execution.

Allied Digital is proud to be the responsible partner behind Pune’s safer, smarter future.