Ten other stretches under the Madurai region have the system operating in phases, while 10 Chennai-region stretches have partial coverage. NHAI is expanding ATMS across Tamil Nadu. Full-fledged deployment will follow completion of ongoing road works
When a vehicle remains stationary for more than 20 seconds, the control room flags the incident and alerts teams on the ground. NHAI has positioned two route patrol vehicles and recovery units for every 50 km to remove disabled or stranded vehicles and restore traffic flow. NHAI also alerts state agencies, including the police and the health department’s 108 ambulance network, when an incident requires outside support, said Sachin Kumar, project director, NHAI PIU-Nagercoil. His unit oversees about 120 km of the highway stretch. Officials said the current system follows the 2016 operating framework for highway traffic management. They are now preparing to adopt the 2023 standards issued by the ministry of road transport and highways.
The system has four components — the Video Incident Detection and Enforcement System (VIDES), monitoring rooms, field responders and documentation teams, said P Kannan, manager-operations system at SMTPL, which operates the facility for NHAI on the corridor. “Our incident management teams handle most situations, while some incidents require support from district agencies, and the coordination from officials here has been very good,” he said. R Dharmalingam, a resident of Kayatharu, said lorries earlier used to stop near tea stalls and eateries, narrowing the carriageway and endangering traffic. “Now, we regularly see NHAI patrol vehicles and police taking action against them,” he said.
“Some drivers shift to the shoulder to avoid camera coverage, and that should also be treated as a violation.