Govt to implement intelligent transport system through PPP model

The government will implement a public-private partnership model in the transport system, particularly in the intelligent transport system (ITS), to reduce road accidents, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Friday.

A consultant will be appointed to suggest ways to implement the PPP model at the state, municipal corporation and national highway level, the minister said while addressing a webinar on road safety.

He added that a tender would be released soon in this regard.

An ITS comprises centralised control centres, closed tolling systems which also include components like CCTV, weather monitoring, variable message signs, advanced communication system, traffic management, simulation, digital services driven by AI, among others to streamline traffic.

India, on an average, witnesses about 5 lakh road accidents per annum which kill 1.5 lakh people and cripple about 3 lakh.

The government has been taking a number of steps to reduce the number of accidents, he said. Gadkari also expressed confidence that road accidents and related deaths would be reduced by 50% by 2025.

The minister said that the Road Transport and Highways Ministry had taken a lot of initiatives to reduce road accidents, including correcting black spots or spots witnessing a high number of accidents due to bad road designing or other road engineering or related flaws.