The Road Transport Ministry is planning to start highway radio advisory service. According to a report appeared in Economic Times, the ministry had sought the help of informational and broadcasting ministry to help the venture. The radio advisory service will help the highway drivers to tune in to updates on traffic, route, eateries and the weather. The ministry is planning to start the service in three radio frequencies, the report says.
The report, quoting a senior Road Transport Ministry official, states that the pilot project is expected on the Delhi-Jaipur highway. “Once the road ministry gets the spectrum allocated for the radio stations, it will float tender inviting private players to operate the service” the ET report added.
The initiative is part of the government's plan to build an intelligent transport system that addresses concerns regarding environment pollution and road safety through enhanced data collection.
The road ministry is also launching IT-based initiatives like road asset management system, vehicle tracking system and real toll data management. The National Informatics Centre has also submitted a paper to the road ministry on use of satellite to monitor road conditions, traffic, encroachments, etc, according to the report.