VIJAYAWADA: In a major technology-led urban governance initiative, the Government of Andhra Pradesh has accorded administrative sanction for implementation of Project SARTHI - Systematic Augmented Radial Traffic and Hoop Induction in the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) with an overall project cost of Rs 99.19 crore.
The project will introduce an integrated, Artificial Intelligence-based Intelligent Traffic Management System across 101 traffic junctions in Visakhapatnam, marking a significant step towards safer, smarter and more efficient urban mobility in one of Andhra Pradesh’s fastest-growing metropolitan cities.
The project will deploy Adaptive Traffic Control System at 101 junctions, violation detection systems at 90 junctions, free-flow traffic monitoring across 14 locations covering about 131.80 km of major corridors, facial recognition systems at 12 selected locations, pedestrian safety signals at five locations, and integration with the City Operation Centre and Police Command Control infrastructure.
The Government Order provides for 60% CAPEX support of Rs 49.54 crore, while the balance CAPEX and five-year operation and maintenance component of Rs 49.65 crore will be paid bi-annually by the GVMC from its own funds and revenues generated through e-challans and other notified enforcement collections.
The government has also permitted the Visakhapatnam Metropolitan Region Development Authority (VMRDA) to contribute Rs 20 crore towards the project. A dedicated escrow account mechanism will be maintained in the name of the GVMC Commissioner, exclusively for implementation and operation of Project SARTHI during the project lifecycle.
Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development P Narayana said Project SARTHI is a landmark step in making Visakhapatnam a safer, smarter and more efficiently managed city.