Pune: The Advanced Traffic Management System (ATMS), set up under the Pune Smart City initiative, will now be managed by the Pune Police Commissionerate, along with other municipal traffic signals.

The move comes after six months of deliberations between the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), the Smart City project team, and the Traffic Police, as the Smart City initiative nears completion. The question of who would manage the ATMS led to multiple discussions. Finally, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar intervened and issued an order directing the transfer of the system from the PMC to the Pune Police.

Additionally, officials and staff working under the Smart City’s traffic management system will now report to the Police Commissionerate, ensuring a more streamlined approach to traffic control.

ATMS: A High-Tech System Designed to Ease Congestion

The ATMS project was implemented to improve traffic management at 124 key intersections in Pune. The system monitors vehicle flow and automatically adjusts signal timings to ease congestion.

The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) invested ₹102 crore in the project, with an annual maintenance cost of ₹11 crore paid to the operating company. Additionally, the city has 123 more traffic signals, which were separately managed by the Municipal Corporation.

Until now, Pune’s traffic management was handled by three separate authorities—Smart City, PMC, and Traffic Police—leading to coordination challenges. Officials observed that the system was not being utilized to its full potential due to lack of synergy between these agencies.