AI traffic enforcement coming to Merces circle

Panaji: Following the successful trial run of the Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based traffic enforcement technology at Merces Circle, Panaji, state govt is moving forward with plans to implement the system.

The PWD will soon issue a tender to install the AI-driven system that will detect and automatically issue challans for various traffic violations, including speeding, driving on wrong lane, helmetless riding, non-wearing of seatbelts, and the use of mobile phones while driving, among others.

Pravimal Abhishek, director of transport, said that the public works department (PWD) will be floating a tender for the system and that minister for transport, Mauvin Godinho, will then review the files before the process moves forward.

“We are going for a tender for better price discovery. AI is an emerging technology, and as such, there are no standardised practices available across the country,” Abhishek told TOI.

However, he pointed out that states like Sikkim, Delhi, and Kerala have already adopted similar technologies, and Goa is aiming to implement a system inspired by their experiences.

“The AI technology being implemented aims to make traffic violation detection foolproof, with evidence-based enforcement and minimal human intervention. The scope of the project in Delhi, for example, has been expanded to cover as many traffic violations as possible, which Goa plans to replicate,” he said.

Uttam Parsekar, PCE at PWD, said that while the PWD will provide necessary infrastructure support, the monitoring and enforcement will remain under the jurisdiction of the directorate of transport.

“The earlier proposal to implement the system under a public-private partnership (PPP) model did not materialise. We have moved further to reinvite proposals and float a tender for the technology,” Parsekar told TOI.

Parsekar further said that the project will aim to streamline traffic management, with corrections to previous issues such as operations at the crossroads and signals, which had been under the purview of a previous contractor.

The RTO officials are hopeful that the introduction of this system will reduce traffic violations and improve road safety.

“We will not be signing the contract with the previous contractor. We had requested that they modify the system to address some technical issues, but they have been unable to do so. Unless the contractor complies with govt’s terms and conditions, we cannot proceed. As a result, it is being tendered,” a transport official said.