NHAI to upgrade 1033 helpline with AI, real-time tracking
New Delhi, Sept 14 (TNT): The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is planning to upgrade its 1033 National Highway Helpline with advanced technologies, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), real-time location tracking and smart emergency-response systems, to provide faster assistance to highway users.
The upgraded system is expected to help identify callers’ locations in real time, process calls in multiple Indian languages and facilitate quicker deployment of appropriate assistance.
Human operators will continue to play a key role, particularly in emergency situations requiring human judgement and decision-making.
The 1033 helpline, launched in 2018, operates round the clock and provides assistance to National Highway users during medical emergencies and vehicle breakdowns.
It also facilitates ambulance, crane and patrol vehicle services and addresses toll plaza and FASTag-related issues.
The helpline currently covers more than 1.46 lakh km of National Highways and receives around 15,000 calls every day.
The proposed Next Generation 1033 platform will provide faster call handling and dispatch, real-time location identification, AI-assisted multilingual support and intelligent deployment of ambulances, cranes and patrol vehicles.
It will also facilitate proactive alerts to highway users about incidents and other developments and improve coordination between the helpline, emergency services and highway operations teams.
Indian Highways Management Company Ltd (IHMCL), a company promoted by NHAI, has invited an Expression of Interest from companies and consortia for the development, design, deployment, operation and maintenance of the Next Generation 1033 Helpline and Call Centre.
The initiative requires expertise in software development, digital platforms, 24×7 call-centre operations and emergency-response services.
Companies working in mobility and ride-hailing, logistics, quick-commerce, public safety, Computer-Aided Dispatch, Voice AI and Indian-language speech recognition technologies have also been encouraged to participate.
IHMCL will seek technical inputs and suggestions from industry experts to develop a reliable, scalable and future-ready platform, with relevant industry best practices to be considered while finalising the requirements.
The upgraded helpline is aimed at combining technology with human support to improve emergency response, coordination and safety for National Highway users across the country.
TNT KS
