Will also house vehicle tracking command centre
PANAJI
The Transport Department is gearing to shift its headquarters to a new location in Porvorim -- a move that will also anchor the long-pending Vehicle Tracking Platform, a central surveillance and emergency response system for public service vehicles.
The new premises at the Porvorim Housing Board, currently under renovation, will serve a dual role: it will accommodate the department's day-to-day operations while also housing a full-fledged command and control centre linked to the national vehicle tracking grid under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) Nirbhaya Framework.
“The technical backend is in place... What remains is the civil infrastructure: a command centre with a video wall and real-time monitoring tools. That will come up at the new premises where the Goa Handicrafts, Rural and Small Scale Industries Development Corporation will be carrying out the internal makeover,” Transport Director Pravimal Abhishek told The Goan.
The entire shift, including the installation of tracking infrastructure, is expected to be completed in four to five months.
The MoRTH, in January 2020, approved the scheme for implementation of “Development, Customization, Deployment and Management of State-wise vehicle tracking platform for Safety & Enforcement as per AIS 140 Specifications in States / UTs under Nirbhaya Framework” at a total estimated cost of Rs 463.90 crore.
Goa is among 35 States and Union Territories that submitted its proposal for implementation. MoRTH released Rs 220.11 crore and while 33 received the funds, 14 including Karnataka, Kerala, Odisha, and Puducherry made their monitoring centres operational. Goa is reportedly listed among those in the final leg of execution.
The State’s platform will be the central point for monitoring vehicle alerts, movement, and emergency responses. The Director further explained that the system has three primary components -- software integration, civil infrastructure and coordination with emergency services -- all of which are advancing in parallel.
The proposed system envisages enhancing the safety of women and girl children by establishing Monitoring Centers across States/UTs, which shall track all the Public Service Vehicles (PSVs) that are fitted with location tracking devices and emergency buttons for raising an alert in case of emergency. The Monitoring Centre will monitor the alerts and coordinate with the State Emergency Response Support System (SERSS) for responding to distress calls.
