This will help to get real time traffic updates, road safety and travel tips, information about diversions and accidents
Commuters of National Highways –those connecting Delhi-Chandigarh, Bangalore-Chennai, Indore-Bhopal, Bhubaneshwar-Puri, extension of Delhi-Jaipur to Udaipur, will soon be able to get real time traffic updates, road safety and travel tips, information about diversions and accidents and a dose of entertainment on a dedicated radio frequency, as part of an ambitious project designed by the ministry of road, transport and highways.
The initiative which was first undertaken three months ago on the 256 km Delhi-Jaipur National Highway-8 as a pilot project, riding on some of the existing frequencies of the All India Radio (AIR) will now be extended to other national highways of the country. For the Delhi stretch AIR FM Gold was to air the updates, AIR in Alwar and Jaipur was to cover the stretch in Rajasthan.
For the pilot project, staff from an agency were stationed at different locations of the highway, who were to receive updates and convert them to voice modules before broadcasting them. Officials informed that about Rs1 crore was spent in the entire process.
A senior official from the information and broadcasting (I&B) ministry said that they are working towards providing a dedicated frequency for the purpose.
Joint secretary (highways) Rohit Kumar Singh said, "The decision to extend the project to other national highways was taken after the ministry received an overwhelming response on the pilot project from different stakeholders."
Another senior official from the department said the ministry is also exploring the option of providing the information in different regional languages for different parts of the country. "This is another reason why the Delhi-Jaipur highway was chosen for the pilot project, since most users of the highway would understand Hindi and English," said the official, adding that they would also be approaching the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India for the purpose.
The union ministry has also narrowed down on an agency which will carry out a detailed assessment of the pilot project and submit a report in the next two months. The move will benefit frequent highway users, who at present, often grapple with weak radio signals once they get on the highways.
Info in regional languages
Another senior official from the department said the ministry is also exploring the option of providing the information in different regional languages for different parts of the country. "This is another reason why the Delhi-Jaipur highway was chosen for the pilot project, since most users of the highway would understand Hindi and English," said the official.
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