Parliament Question: Artificial intelligence for traffic management and curbing road accidents

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO - 3755 ANSWERED ON - 25/03/2026 ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE FOR TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT AND CURBING ROAD ACCIDENTS

3755. MS. SWATI MALIWAL:

Will the Minister of ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS be pleased to state :-

(a) whether AI-based technologies are being deployed for traffic management, including reduction of congestion, enforcement of traffic rules and prevention of road accidents;

(b) if so, details of AI-enabled systems deployed, including their nature and scope, State-wise and city-wise, particularly in Delhi;

(c) whether any assessment has been conducted on impact of such interventions on traffic violations, congestion and road accidents and if so, details thereof;

(d) funds allocated and utilised for such systems during last three years, State-wise; and

(e) steps taken or proposed to expand use of AI and data analytics for road safety and traffic management, especially in high-density urban areas? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS (SHRI NITIN JAIRAM GADKARI)

(a) to (e) Section 136A of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 (MV Act) provides for electronic monitoring and enforcement of road safety on National Highways, State Highways, roads or in any urban city within a State which has a population upto such limits as may be prescribed by the Government. Accordingly, Government has published Rule 167A under the Central Motor Vehicles Rules (CMVR), 1989 in August 2021 for Electronic Monitoring and Enforcement of Road Safety at high-risk and high-density corridors on National Highways, State Highways and at critical junctions in cities having more than one million population and cities under National Clean Air Programme

(NCAP) in the Country. The responsibility to implement the provisions of Rule 167A of the CMVR, 1989 in terms of section 136A of the MV Act, 1988 comes under the purview of the State Governments.

Further, implementation of Advanced Traffic Management Systems (ATMS) across National Highways with the objective of improving road safety, reducing accidents and enabling real-time traffic monitoring and incident management has been envisaged. ATMS implementation is being done in phased manner in all four lanes and above National Highways.

The system architecture includes deployment of AI-based Video Incident Detection and Enforcement System (VIDES), Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras, PTZ (Pan, Tilt, and Zoom) cameras and other surveillance cameras for electronic monitoring, enforcement, early detection of incidents and real-time field response.

As per information received from Delhi Police, at present, Delhi Traffic Police is using AI- based technologies primarily for prosecution purposes only. As part of the Pilot ITMS, Delhi Policehas installed 209 Red Light Violation Detection (RLVD) cameras at 43 junctions and 125 Over Speed Violation Detection (OSVD) cameras at various locations for automated enforcement.

There is no specific Road Safety Fund at the Central level. Road Safety funds are established at the level of States/UTs. However, Road Safety is an integral and indispensable component of every National Highway Project. Road Safety initiatives on National Highways commence with the inception of Detailed Project Report (DPR) as road safety audit of all National Highways projects has been made mandatory at all stages i.e. design, construction, operation & maintenance through auditors/experts. As per available data, expenditure on comprehensive road safety aspects varies from 2.21% to 15% of total cost of the development projects depending upon structures involved for construction of National Highways.

Further, to support the States / Union Territories, the Central Government has issued guidelines for incentives to States for implementation of Electronic Enforcement of Road Safety under the Scheme of Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment 2025-26 (SASCI 2025-26) with an allocation of Rs. 3,000 Crore on First-Come-First-Served basis. An amount of Rs.146.37 crore has been recommended for release to 7 States under the scheme, as per following details : - Sl. No State Recommended Amount (₹ in Cr) 1 Assam 12.5 2 Sikkim 35 3 Tamil Nadu 34.9 4 Uttarakhand 43 5 Uttar Pradesh 17.67 6 Himachal Pradesh 1.8 7 Arunachal Pradesh 1.5 Total 146.37 Additionally, the Government provides financial assistance under the Intelligent Transport System (ITS) scheme to support adoption of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) based solutions in public transport, including fleet management systems for tracking, scheduling, and operations. Eligible transport bodies (such as State Transport Undertakings, State Transport Corporations, Public Private Partnerships and State Government Bodies) may incorporate AI-based functionalities within these systems. Details of approved proposals under ITS scheme which include AI components are at Annexure.

The use of electronic enforcement for traffic management is in initial stage of implementation by State Government(s)/UT administration(s). Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) has been issued on 28.10.2025 for implementation of Rule 167/167A of Central Motor Vehicle Rules (CMVR), 1989 related to electronic monitoring and enforcement of road safety. The SOP provides comprehensive guidance on identifying enforcement sites, selecting and installing electronic enforcement devices and ensuring their monitoring, calibration and maintenance. It also outlines the standardized processes for recording violations and issuing e-challans. An amendment to CMVR has also been notified on 20.01.2026 to provide legal backing to the provisions of SOP.ANNEXURE ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (a) to (e) OF RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3755 ANSWERED ON 25.03.2026 ASKED BY MS. SWATI MALIWAL REGARDING 'ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE FOR TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT AND CURBING ROAD ACCIDENTS'

Details of approved proposals under ITS scheme which include AI components : - Sl. State Transport Total Central AI based scope No. Undertaking project Government Cost (Rs. Component Cr.) (Rs. Cr)

1. Navi Mumbai 19.74 13.818 AI based planning, scheduling and dispatch Municipal Transport

(NMMT)

2. Chandigarh Transport 22.71 15.897 Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Undertaking (CTU) Machine Learning (ML) for Route optimisation, route selection, driver behaviour analysis, predictive maintenance etc.

3. Nagaland State 12.06 8.442 AI powered route optimisation and demand Transport (NST) Machine Learning (ML) predict and mitigate delays.

AI driven ETA, ETD, route and destination, Automated Announcement, Multilingual support (AI translation and Voice synthesis)

4. Uttar Pradesh State 17.94 12.558 Intelligent services under Integrated Depot Road Transport Management System (IDMS):

Corporation

(UPSRTC)  Crew Rostering  Business intelligence  Dispatch management  Event and Alert handling *****