Nagpur Smart and Sustainable City Development Corporation Limited (NSSCDCL) and Nagpur District Collector Office jointly installed a Lactation Room having state-of-the-art facilities in the premises of District Collector Office, Civil Lines, on the occasion of Womens Day on Tuesday.

Divisional Commissioner Prajakta Lawangare Verma inaugurated the room in the presence of District Collector R Vimala, Buvesneswari S (CEO, NSSCDCL) and Additional Collector Shrish Pande. The first of its kind facility has also been inaugurated at the premises of Nagpur Municipal Corporation by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari.

As a global health recommendation, infants should be exclusively breastfed for the first 6-24 months of life. By enhancing the public domain of young children and their families to be healthy and more stimulating for early childhood, there is a need to consciously address the needs of young children and lactating mothers. Nagpur Smart City has installed a Room to provide a safe, private, and secure place for women for feeding. The room is equipped with up-to-the-minute facilities and top-grade/ prime quality components.

This is the first of its kind among all the Smart Cities in the nation. The CSR-funded facility is also the first in India to be installed in the premises of Administrative Buildings to promote inclusivity and user comfort in District Collector premises.

The Mother-Child friendly Rooms 4ft x 8ft area comprises of comfortable seating space, adjustable tabletop, mirror surface above the cabinet, storage space for diapers, water boiler, sanitizer, first aid box, disposal unit that encourages inclusivity for working and visiting women with infants. The standalone room also has electrical connection for all fixtures with detachable floor mat that is easy to clean.

The initiative CSR with conceptual design for lactation room has been initiated by Chief Planner of Smart City Rahul Pande and his team. CSR fund is provided by Estoria Builders and Developers Limited. Divisional Commissioner presented a certificate of appreciation to Harshawardhan Nagpure and Sachin Nagpure for the CSR initiative. The programme was conducted by Manish Soni, PRO of Smart City while Law Officer Manjeet Neware proposed vote of thanks. The interns of Nagpur Smart City played essential role in the execution of this unique feature. The team members of Nagpur Smart City were present in the function.

Beautifully decorated streets of Mahal market in Nagpur during ‘Placemaking 2.0’ by Nagpur Smart City

Nagpur Smart and Sustainable City Development Corporation Limited (NSSCDCL) recently conducted the Placemaking 2.0 trial campaign on the streets of Mahal market in the city with an intention to make the market pedestrian friendly under Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav – part II of the placemaking initiative of Smart Cities Mission and Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
NSSCDCL intends to conduct and monitor the intervention on temporary basis, using tactical urbanism as a tool, to understand the perspective of the local stakeholders, behavior and challenges before any permanent intervention.

Citizens in Mahal market in Nagpur during ‘Placemaking 2.0’ by Nagpur Smart City

During the initiative, various interesting events were in 75 hours as the old Mahal street was changed from being a vehicle oriented and unorganized market to a pedestrian oriented and well-organized market. Several activities were also held during the placemaking event, which included urban Sketching with the Nagpur’s Urban Sketchers group, which documented Nagpur and its heritage through sketches. A heritage walk with Nagpur Mayor Dayashankar Tiwari, Buveneswari S (CEO, NSSCDCL), and other city officials was also conducted.

Cybercrime awareness and a road safety campaigns were also organized. Pedestrians, shoppers, and children played various games such as khokho, badminton, and gully cricket on the street throughout the day.
The initiative was an attempt by NSSCDCL towards reclaiming spaces from vehicles and giving it back to people. For the event, NSSCDCL collaborated with The HabitatArchitecture Urban design Interiors Studio, Another Earthling Studio, Urban Sketchers and ESAF Foundation.

Senior citizens in Mahal market in Nagpur during ‘Placemaking 2.0’ by Nagpur Smart City

For the initiative, NSSCDCL gathered design inputs from the users on the trial interventions. It also conducted stakeholder engagements on site to understand the perspective of the local shopkeepers, restaurant owners, small business owners and residents. Reacting to the event, local stakeholders mentioned that they were happy with the trial and were looking forward to permanently restrict vehicular movement in the area of intervention.

Under Placemaking 2.0, Nagpur Smart City has also activated a smart parking area at Ramdaspeth by installing variable message signboards to display messages related to COVID and environmental awareness.