Installation of Video Cameras at Toll Plazas to Promote Transparency and Lessen Congestion.

1. Installation of Video Cameras at Toll Plazas to Promote Transparency and Lessen Congestion The available stretch of national highways in India doesn’t coincide with the number of running vehicles on them. This is the primary reason for the overwhelming traffic and misconduct on the roads and national highways across India. In order to monitor these issues around the national highways, especially the toll plazas, the National Highways Authority of India is working on the installation of the video cameras at the toll plaza sites. The initiative was proposed by the Chief General Manager (IT and Highway Operations) of NHAI, Mr Akhilesh Srivastava. He is the man behind the integration of technology into every sector of highway operations. Following the successful implementation of the Electronic Toll Collection project which has created an impactful change in the process of toll collection at the toll booths, the implementation of the video cameras will enhance the transparency and provide with real-time monitoring of the ongoing condition of traffic near the toll plazas. This is a step that many of the highway users have sought for quite a long time now. The overall objective of the entire initiative is to instil notable change in the operation of the toll booths and the overall tax collection process. There has been no official statement regarding the date of installation of this initiative but they have given a rough estimate stating that the project is going to be operational in the coming six months or so. The cameras will be backed up with the latest technology which is going to provide with real- time updates of the traffic flow near the toll plazas across the national highways to the Command Centres and the regional offices. The associated officials have guaranteed the smooth progress of the project which is definitely going to reflect changes in the coming few months only. The command centres and regional offices have been installed with high speed internet to ensure smooth functioning. Mr Akhilesh Srivastava, in his recently issued statement, claimed that these video cameras will provide with real-time pictures and time stamped images during normal traffic flow. The same will get converted to recording mode once the traffic congestion prolongs the time lapse of 30 minutes. The recording will provide with real-time updates to the deployed personnel working at the command centre who can then take the necessary steps to channel the traffic better. Mr Srivastava has also been part of the recently launched Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) portal. This is yet another initiative proposed by him which is expected to develop and better the condition of the legal arbitration in the country. Not just that, Mr Srivastava also claims that this will bring about noticeable changes in the operations of the construction industry which is definitely an added bonus. Not just that, the implementation of ODR is expected to generate employment in the sector for the budding software engineers which are going to eradicate the issues concerning the declining rate of employment in the country. #NationalHighways #ElectronicTollCollection #OnlineDisputeResolution #ODR