AI traffic signal at Merces junction set for revival

The defunct traffic signal at Merces junction.

PANAJI
After nearly three years of silence, the long-defunct AI-powered traffic signal at the Merces junction will finally be switched back on.
Government sources confirmed to 'The Goan' that work has begun to activate the Merces junction signal along with AI-enabled systems at several other locations, part of a larger plan covering 92 junctions identified under the Integrated Traffic Management Project.
The initiative, frozen since mid-2023 due to technical glitches and administrative indecision, is now being revived by the same Bengaluru-based firm, Beltech AI, which had executed the original project.
Sources said Beltech AI has started installing new traffic signals fitted with artificial intelligence, while some junctions will only be equipped with AI-based cameras. These systems will detect traffic violations and generate challans without human intervention.
However, authorities are yet to finalise which department — Traffic or Transport — will be the enforcing agency.
“The traffic signals are being installed at some locations, and more will be covered subsequently by the same agency. All the 92 locations will be covered by AI-cameras, but several aspects are still to be finalised. Once installation is complete, trials will begin, followed by enforcement,” the source said.
The Merces junction stands as a stark reminder of the project’s troubled past. Installed in March 2023 with much fanfare to improve road safety and traffic regulation, the AI-powered signal remained non-operational soon thereafter.
Despite repeated appeals from the Traffic Department to the Public Works Department and concerned stakeholders, the system continued to malfunction.
Under the original project, the PWD had identified 92 locations for AI-enabled systems capable of detecting violations, generating automated challans, conducting surveillance and analysing traffic flow.
'The Goan' repeatedly highlighted the issue, even as the Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Ltd proposed replacing the Merces system with a fresh set of conventional traffic signals. The proposal remained pending approval while Beltech was taken on board again.

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No decision on revenue sharing yet
PANAJI: Officials said a pilot project has already been completed by the same agency, and a new tender is being prepared using the Delhi government’s standard tender document, based on a 70:30 model.
While the document speaks of technical specifications and types of detectable violations, it does not yet include any revenue-sharing formula.
The Transport Department recommended a 50:50 revenue-sharing model, while the chairman of the concerned body has suggested the government’s share should exceed 50 per cent.