West Bengal has launched a GPS-enabled mobile app and web portal to track road repairs, creating a centralised digital record of pothole and damaged-road works as the state pushes urban local bodies to complete repairs by October 10-12.
The Path Nirman Mobile App and Portal was launched at Nagaryan in Salt Lake on Thursday by Urban Development and Municipal Affairs Minister Agnimitra Paul. The system requires urban local bodies to photograph damaged road stretches before repairs begin, while work is under way and after completion.
According to the state’s urban development and municipal affairs department, GPS-based location tracking will identify the precise site of each repair. Photographs uploaded at the three stages will provide a visual record of the road’s condition and the work carried out. A web dashboard will allow officials to monitor individual projects and review their status.
“We want to document the condition of the roads in three stages — before the repair, while the repair work is under way and after the repair has been completed,” Paul said. She said the system would help officials monitor works and maintain records across the state.
The launch comes as West Bengal steps up repairs to potholes and damaged paved roads ahead of a deadline set by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari. Paul said supervisors were monitoring the works, but added that rainfall had disrupted repair activity across the state.
The digital system is not limited to roads maintained by municipal bodies. Paul said the government also intended to bring roads under other departments and agencies to its notice, including roads managed by irrigation authorities and national highways. This would allow the department to record complaints and repair activity across different parts of the road network rather than only within municipal jurisdictions.
Residents have been asked to report road damage through the UDMA grievance helpline, the minister’s official Facebook page and the Apnar Sarkar Apnar Pashe app. The UDMA grievance cell can be reached at 1800 345 0938. Photographs submitted by residents are expected to help officials identify locations requiring intervention.
The system also comes as the government addresses delays in the repair programme. Paul attributed some of the delay to a technical problem in the state’s e-tender system, in addition to the continuing rains. She said the government was hopeful of completing the repairs by October 10-12. The dashboard and photographic records will provide the department with a location-wise record as that deadline approaches.
