Road transport and highways ministry has decided to use satellite images for planning and monitoring of national highways, a move that would help in use of minimal farmland in road construction. This could in turn reduce the possibility of protests by farmers against land acquisition.
To start with, it has identified 3,000 sq km area in Assam, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Chhattisgarh to trace usable land through satellite images procured from the Indian Space Research Organisation?s National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) in Hyderabad.
?We want to keep a track of remote areas through this pilot project. We will use such images in more regions based on our experience of road development in these areas,? a senior official in the ministry told FE on condition of anonymity.
The ministry has invited expressions of interest (EoIs) from companies for providing satellite images from NRSC. The last date of submitting EoIs is November 3.
Currently, there is no effective technology for planning and monitoring of highway construction and officials mainly depend on time-consuming and expensive physical field surveys for the purpose. An exception is made on 7,000-km roads where the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) uses a web-based information system.
Satellite imagery is considered a more advanced technology for development of physical infrastructure. Environment ministry had also marked contentious ?go? and ?no-go? areas for mining based on pictures taken through satellites.
The use of this technology is important for the road ministry as it is gradually increasing award of national highway projects, raising pressure on farmlands. In 2011-12, it expects to bid out projects for road construction at 7,994 km against last year?s 5,083 km and 3,360 a year before that.
Road ministry expects the technology would provide updated view of areas, helping it in better monitoring of construction and maintenance of roads.
?We can save money also as a lower cost would be incurred on satellite images than on detailed physical surveys,? a NHAI official said.
