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A screenshot from a video showing a landslide that occurred on Highway No. 7 in Uttarakhand on Thursday. (PTI)
In a desk note dated June 27, Additional Secretary Amit Kumar Ghosh said that the control room is being set up with immediate effect and will continue until further orders.
With the monsoon season underway, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has set up a round-the-clock control room that will monitor the situation across national highways and take calls from the public to ensure smooth traffic.
The control room, which has been set up in the ministry and can be contacted at 011-23718525, will deal with issues such as traffic disruption, accidents due to poor visibility and potholes, water logging, road obstruction and landslides.
In a desk note dated June 27, Additional Secretary Amit Kumar Ghosh said that the control room is being set up with immediate effect and will continue until further orders.
The officers deployed in the control room will receive calls from the public as well as government agencies and inform the concerned department to resolve the situation. They will also monitor media platforms for input apart from contacting local officials.
“The officers posted in the control room will ensure that any information regarding blockage or damage to national highways should be communicated to the relevant ROs (Regional Officials) immediately for necessary action/compensation. The control room shall maintain a log of calls received in chronological order By entering the name, mobile phone number of the caller, location and number raised in the register,” the note reads.
According to the order, three people will be deployed to the office per day who will work eight-hour shifts — from midnight to 8 am, from 8 am to 4 pm, and from 4 pm to midnight. The duty officers will be the assistant executive engineers and assistant department officers.
During monsoons, many roads, including national highways, experience traffic disruption due to logging in the waters, and sometimes landslides in the hilly states. On Sunday, heavy rain caused a landslide on the Mandi-Kulu National Highway, creating a traffic jam. On Thursday, the Badrinath National Highway was closed after a landslide was reported following heavy rains near Chinka in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand.
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