Smart traffic signals to become operational in Goa

PANAJI: Traffic signals installed at 13 locations will be operational from midnight on May 22, and the transport department will start issuing e-challans for violations captured by CCTV cameras.
The transport department announced that the Intelligent Traffic Management Systems (ITMS), which is part of the Smart City Mission’s Rs 180 crore Goa Intelligent City Management System, is being operationalised from May 22.
“Traffic will be monitored electronically through CCTV cameras and e-challans will be issued to violators based on the camera recordings,” said the department in an advisory issued to motorists.
The cameras, which are capable of capturing vehicle number plates and faces of individuals, will be used to automatically record traffic violations.

The ethernet IP-based high-resolution cameras, installed by L&T, can track vehicles, detect if a car or bike has exceeded the speed limit, and also detect if the vehicle is stolen.
Traffic challans will be automatically issued by the ITMS, eliminating the need for the vehicle to be stopped for the fine to be imposed. The system facilitates e-challan generation, which is then sent to the violators’ mobile phones through SMS. The department will also receive photo and video evidence of the violation, thus reducing the scope for dispute.

The automated challans generated by the ITMS will be verified by the transport department’s officers sitting at the Integrated Command and Control Centre at Altinho. This ensures a manual check for all traffic violations.

The vehicle owner will have to visit the transport department or the Goa police traffic cell to pay the fine.

Electronic enforcement under Section 136-A of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, will be implemented in the state of Goa for detection and penalising traffic offences recorded on the ITMS system from midnight on May 22,” said the department advisory.

Five officers each from Goa police’s traffic cell and the transport department will sit at the ICCC to monitor the cameras and the footage that is captured. The transport department also said that it aims to deploy similar artificial intelligence-powered surveillance systems across Goa over a period of time.