Infrastructure – Centralised Highway Lighting Oversight Set to Improve Road Safety
Infrastructure – The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) is preparing to introduce a nationwide Centralised Control and Monitoring System (CCMS) aimed at strengthening highway safety, improving energy efficiency, and streamlining the management of street lighting infrastructure across national highways. The digital platform is expected to provide authorities with better oversight of lighting assets while reducing operational challenges.
Technology-Driven Monitoring Framework
The upcoming cloud-based system will enable real-time supervision of highway lighting networks from a central platform. Through automated controls, officials will be able to remotely manage lighting operations, monitor performance, and quickly identify technical faults before they develop into larger issues. The platform is also designed to verify energy savings and generate analytical reports to support efficient decision-making.
According to officials, the initiative is intended to modernize the way lighting infrastructure is monitored and maintained on key road corridors throughout the country.
Pilot Projects Demonstrated Feasibility
Before moving toward wider implementation, the ministry conducted pilot projects in Varanasi and Hyderabad. These trials successfully demonstrated the effectiveness of technology-enabled monitoring and provided practical insights into large-scale deployment. The positive outcomes from these projects encouraged authorities to proceed with a broader rollout of the system.
The ministry believes that lessons learned from the pilot phase will help ensure smooth implementation across different highway networks.
Standard Operating Procedure Issued
To facilitate uniform adoption, MoRTH has released a detailed Standard Operating Procedure (SoP) along with an implementation framework for the CCMS. The guidelines will apply to highway stretches managed by the ministry, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), and the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (NHIDCL).
The move follows discussions held during meetings involving senior ministry officials, where the need for a single monitoring mechanism for highway lighting infrastructure was highlighted.
Mandatory Compliance Across Highway Projects
Authorities have directed relevant departments within MoRTH, NHAI, and NHIDCL to ensure adherence to the newly issued guidelines. The instructions cover ongoing projects, completed stretches currently in operation, and future highway developments. This approach aims to establish a consistent monitoring framework across all eligible projects.
Officials expect the standardised system to improve accountability and ensure better management of public infrastructure assets.
Lighting Deployment Based on Safety Needs
Current guidelines issued by the Indian Roads Congress (IRC) specify that lighting on national highways is generally installed only at selected locations where safety requirements are higher. These areas include toll plazas, rest zones, truck lay-bys, bus bays, interchanges, flyovers, underpasses, overpasses, and grade-separated structures.
The extent of lighting provided in a highway project is determined during the preparation of the Detailed Project Report (DPR), taking into account safety considerations and other technical requirements.
Enhanced Transparency and Public Feedback
The new monitoring platform is expected to provide authorities with comprehensive dashboards displaying the operational status of street lighting assets. Officials will be able to view the number of functioning and non-functioning lights across states, districts, and highway corridors.
In addition, the system will allow users to submit feedback regarding lighting-related concerns. Such feedback will automatically reach the responsible project authorities for action. To address unresolved issues efficiently, a three-level escalation mechanism has also been incorporated into the framework.
Government officials believe the initiative will improve transparency, support data-based decision-making, and strengthen monitoring of energy consumption and electrical performance across the national highway network.