CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu govt on Wednesday’s budget announced the launch of the Safe Roads Mission and the ‘Namma Salai’ mobile application to improve road safety and ensure faster maintenance of roads across the state. The mission will focus on safer road design, construction and maintenance, while leveraging artificial intelligence for speed and traffic enforcement, besides deploying dedicated road patrols and strengthening trauma care centres.Members of the public will be able to photograph and report potholes and other road defects through the Namma Salai app, enabling authorities to carry out prompt repairs.The govt has allocated Rs 21,524 crore to the highways and minor ports department in the revised Budget Estimates. Of this, Rs 9,300 crore has been earmarked under the Comprehensive Road Infrastructure Development Programme for widening state highways into four-lane roads, constructing bypasses, carrying out road safety works, building pedestrian overbridges, upgrading panchayat and panchayat union roads into other district roads, constructing bridges and improving riding quality.Acknowledging that many roads have deteriorated due to inadequate maintenance, the govt has also set aside Rs 250 crore in the revised Budget Estimates to repair poorly maintained stretches through performance-based maintenance contracts.
