NHAI to upgrade 1033 National Highway helpline with AI, real-time location tracking

New Delhi, Sep 14 (IANS) The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) on Monday said it is planning to upgrade its existing 1033 National Highway Helpline with advanced technology to provide faster and better assistance to travellers. According to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, the upgraded 1033 helpline will use technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), real-time location tracking and smart emergency-response systems. “These improvements will help the 1033 National Highway helpline identify the location of callers, understand calls in different Indian languages and send the right assistance to the location more quickly. Human operators will continue to play an important role, especially in emergencies where human judgement and decision-making are essential,” the NHAI said in a statement. The Indian Highways Management Company Limited (IHMCL), a company promoted by NHAI, has invited an Expression of Interest (EOI) from companies and consortia for the development, design, deployment, operation and maintenance of the next-generation 1033 helpline and call centre. IHMCL will seek suggestions and technical inputs from industry experts to develop a reliable, scalable and future-ready system. Relevant industry best practices will also be considered while finalising the requirements. The upgraded 1033 helpline is expected to make assistance on National Highways faster, more coordinated and more convenient for citizens. By combining technology with human support, NHAI aims to further improve the safety and travel experience of highway users across the country. It is aimed at providing better systems for receiving calls and sending help to the required location; real-time capture of the caller’s location to help emergency teams reach the spot; AI-assisted handling of calls in different Indian languages; and Intelligent systems to help identify and send the most suitable ambulance, crane or patrol vehicle. It will also help in timely advisories to highway users about incidents and other important developments and provide improved coordination between the helpline, emergency services and National Highway operations teams. --IANS na/