Govt likely to reject proposal for replacement
PANAJI
The AI-driven traffic management system at the busy Merces junction has remained defunct for over a year and a half after its launch, and now the State is likely to turn down the pending proposal by Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Limited (IPSCDL) to replace the faulty signals.
Reliable sources told The Goan that despite repeated requests from the Traffic Department to dismantle the glitch-ridden system installed by Beltech AI, no decision is in sight. The Goa Police deployed staff to regulate traffic, particularly during busy hours, after the junction witnessed accidents and rampant traffic violations.
The issue resurfaced after an IRB constable was seen manually regulating traffic, without a raincoat amid heavy showers on Tuesday.
The department, the source added, had written to the Public Works Department (PWD) twice and to Beltech AI urging the removal of the faulty signals last year while stressing the urgency to restore smooth traffic movement.
“However, IPSCDL’s proposal to install a new set of traffic signals has received no green signal. It is likely to be rejected despite the agency installing new ‘yellow poles’ around the site and awaiting No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the PWD,” the source revealed, adding, ‘the government wants to continue with Beltech AI. But no formal decision has been taken. We are all stuck in limbo’.
This bureaucratic paralysis comes even though the AI-based system, launched in March 2023 amid much fanfare, aimed at drastically improving road safety. The PWD had initially identified 92 locations for the integrated project, which included AI surveillance, traffic violation detection, challan generation and traffic pattern analysis.
Until six months back, it was estimated that between March 2023 and April 2024, Beltech’s traffic system generated around 56,000 penalties, which could have contributed over Rs 5 crore to the State exchequer. However, the penalties allegedly remain uncollected as the challans are not issued.
