Parliamentary Panel Recommends Road Ministry To Develop An App Enabling Users To Report Potholes On Highways

Recommending the Road Transport and Highways Ministry to use the latest technology to monitor the quality of roads, a parliamentary panel has suggested the ministry to develop a smartphone application or website to enable highway users to report potholes, reports Times of India.

The standing committee on road transport and highways ministry in a report tabled in Parliament has also raised concerns over the poor quality and pliability of several stretches.

“The Committee recommends that latest technology should be employed to monitor the quality and pliability of roads. A user interface may be developed in the form of smartphone application and/or website to permit Highway users to report potholes on the Highways and steps may be taken to ensure timely action on the same,” the panel said in the report.

The committee further recommended that there should be strict accountability about the condition of the roads which may be shared by the authority in-charge for ensuring the quality of the road as well as the concessionaire carrying out the road project.

“The Committee feels that given the vast stretches of National Highways in the country, allowing road users to report potholes, lack of lighting, and other safety concerns through the use of smartphone application would be very helpful to receive information on such issues, along with pinpoint location,” the report said.

It has also recommended adequate fund allocation for periodic quality checks over different stretches of a road under construction or maintenance, during various phases of the project, and also after its completion.

"The committee further recommends that the ministry should chalk out a road quality score mechanism which can be updated throughout the various stages of progress of a road project. This score should be based on the quality of construction material, compliance with safety standards and user feedback. This score would also help in assessing the amount of funds needed to carry out repair works on the road – with roads needing less maintenance getting higher scores," the report said.

It also recommended linking the scoring of road projects to the contractor’s portfolio, and priority in awarding a road project be given to those contractors with a history of constructing quality road projects.