A Glimpse of Tech-tonic changes in the Highways sector
The Government of India (GoI) in 2015 launched a flagship program called Digital India with the vision to digitalise the public sector.
The program made many government organisations roll out tech-based initiatives to address challenges and deliver expected results that are citizen-centric. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), which is an autonomous body under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, has also taken a cue from Digital India program and has been initiating digital transformation in its assignments and responsibilities.
The National Highways Authority of India, in the recent years, has been in news for all good reasons, thanks to its commitment to deliver commuter-centric development.
Here are a few of its initiatives and processes launched of late:
Advance Emergency Traffic Incident Management
National Highways witness thousands of accidents every day. Not only the number of accidents, but also the number of fatalities is worrying the NHAI. In the wake of which, it has started setting up a world-class Emergency Traffic Incident Management system. A Toll Free number-1033 was also launched for commuters to report any incidents. This number supports commuters in different languages thus making it reach Pan-Indian level. Through this system, the field staff can reach the accident spot, within 15 minutes from the time of reporting. The operations division of NHAI is provided with cranes, Patrolling vehicles, and Ambulances in this regard. The whole process of reaching the accident spot and following the emergency protocols is tracked and monitored through GPS aided system.
RAMS
The NHAI has embarked on a movement to leverage the resources alongside National Highways. For this to happen, it started developing a system named Road Asset Management System (RAMS), which is an information bank of resources. For this to happen, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has entered into by and between the NHAI and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to share satellite data. Accordingly the resources that are alongside national highways are mapped and used for better purposes.
Hi-Tech monitoring
A lot of developmental works have been happening under the guidance of NHAI. Monitoring them up to date has been one of the challenging tasks. The NHAI started using Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) technology to look after the developmental works going in different locations. It started deploying drones to track the progress of works on daily basis, thus boosting accountability and speeding up the pace of works.
Ranging from procurement to awarding contracts, everything is gradually moving online in the functioning of NHAI thus bringing in transparency. There are a lot other successful examples of NHAI embracing technology, which invoke inspiration to other departments and organisations.
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