THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: After the public works department, the local self-government department (LSGD) is now finding innovative ways for the upkeep of roads under its control. LSGD has started a road connectivity mapping wherein digital maps of every road will be prepared.
While PWD maintains 33,000 kilometres of roads, LSGD has over two lakh kilometres of roads under its fold. According to Local Self-Government Minister M V Govindan, the mapping will be useful in raising the safety and quality standards of roads. He said the details of roads will be collected and stored on the digital platform, and the R-Track mobile application, developed by the Kerala State Remote Sensing and Environment Centre.
The pilot phase of the project would cover panchayats in the districts of Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Idukki, Ernakulam, Thrissur and Palakkad. The rest of the districts, and municipalities and city corporations, will be covered in phases.
“Vital information on roads, including their measurements and nature, will be recorded in the current phase. It will be useful in the planning and execution of development work and continuous monitoring,” said panchayat director H Dinesan. Data collection through the mobile app is the responsibility of the engineering wing of a panchayat, said Johnson K, chief engineer of LSGD.
“The existing asset register, in book format, was prepared some 15 years ago. The digital format will help in easy access, data updating and surveillance. The sanctioning process for road-cutting work, like pipe laying, will be integrated with the digital database,” he said.
The collected data has to be vetted by governing bodies before it is updated on the digital platform, Johnson said. The subsequent phases of the project would cover the enumeration of other infrastructural assets, like buildings owned by local self-governments. The local bodies have been allowed to seek the help of youngsters for data collection. Remuneration of up to a maximum of Rs 3,000 will be given to the volunteer who should have a GPS-supported android phone and a two-wheeler. However, the authenticity of the data is the responsibility of the engineering wing of a local body.