Improving safety, curbing violations: Plan to equip nine key highways with ITMS

While the state has provisioned Rs 100 crore for the project, it’s anticipated that additional funds will be required as the estimated project cost exceeds the initial provision, he said.

The primary goal of implementing the ITMS is to enhance road safety and reduce violations on the highways. The comparison is drawn to countries like Singapore, where advanced technology is utilised to manage highways effectively without relying on human intervention. Also, since Maharashtra is constructing big highways like Samruddhi Mahamarg, which is 701-km long, manning such a big stretch without using technology will be a difficult job, the official explained.

Bhimanwar also visited Kerala recently to understand and learn from its ITMS project, which uses Artificial Intelligence cameras. While Kerala’s system detects nine types of violations, Maharashtra’s ITMS is designed to detect and address 17 different violations, including lane cutting, driving in the wrong lane, riding without a helmet, driving without a seatbelt, overspeeding, overloaded vehicle, unfit vehicle etc.

Overall, the ITMS initiative aims to leverage technology to manage traffic, improve safety, and reduce violations on the designated highways in Maharashtra, the official said.