NHAI to roll out route patrolling vehicles for quicker aid & maintenance

NEW DELHI: In its bid to improve highway patrol, NHAI on Friday issued a fresh guideline for Route Patrolling Vehicles (RPVs) branded as “Rajmarg Saathi”, which will be equipped with advanced tools to reduce traffic disruption and better maintenance. These vehicles will be deployed on every 50 km section for dealing with emergency incidents and for quick maintenance.
An NHAI spokesperson said that in the existing RPVs, the rear space is open for keeping instruments and equipment to support in case of emergency situations. “However, due to open space, the operators were not able to keep these equipment in a well organised manner, which at times lead to delay in taking prompt action. In order to overcome such a situation, the rear or trunk of RPV has now been replaced by a closed cabinet with dedicated space for different equipment and inventory. The shelves have been created to provide quick and easy access to different equipment during the emergency situations and is a significant upgrade from the earlier RPVs,” he added.
These vehicles will also have an advanced feature of dashboard cameras equipped with ‘AI video analytics’ to capture and identify cracks and potholes. These will also capture details such as vehicles, pedestrians, road signs, and other infrastructure assets. “The data and video footage including road distresses shall be collected on a weekly basis by NHAI and this road distresses data shall be integrated with NHAI One application for more efficient maintenance of roads,” the official added.
Officials said the manpower deployed in these vehicles will be properly trained to use the tolls. To ensure service fitness of the vehicle, the RPV will be replaced with a new RPV, once it exceeds a run of 3,00,000 km or has been in operation for three years.
“Since our RPVs are always on the routes (in every 8 hours shift) they can be the first ones to reach any spot or find deficiencies for quick action. The new guidelines help better maintenance of highway stretches and minimise disruption,” said an NHAI official.