New Delhi, Sep 5 (IANS): Union Road Transport and Highway minister Nitin Gadkari on Monday said that there is a need to change the criteria of considering DPRs on the basis of lowest bids.
He said that it is important to use technology in all infrastructure project developments, especially at planning stage to improve planning, construction quality and save unnecessary future expenditures due lack of shortsighted and inappropriate project planning reports.
In his address at the inaugural session of GeoSmart Infrastructure 2022- Digital Empowerment of Transport Infrastructure Development, Gadkari said entities which are engaged in creating detailed project reports (DPRs) for infrastructure projects should be sensitised with appropriate technologies like Geo Information System (GIS) Data and digital maps for better planning and design which would result in projects being more sustainable, durable, and would save cost in the long run.
The minister said while there is a need to change the criteria of considering DPRs on the basis of lowest bids, its important for the agencies which are into creating project reports to adopt appropriate technologies like geo information service data in planning and design for better project cost evaluation, planning and execution.
Additional Secretary, Road Transport and Highways, Amit Kumar Ghosh said that geospatial services are now being adopted on a much larger scale for efficient planning of highways and also reduce construction cost and time. "GIS maps contain detailed visual representation of existing constructions, topography, obstacles and hindrances which can be efficiently utilised for creation of resilient highway infrastructure."
Geospatial CEO Sanjay Kumar said the GIS service and products improve efficiency and sustainability from the early design phase throughout the lifecycle of infrastructure projects, playing a significant role in integrating sustainable practices into operational workflows. The transport infrastructure has witnessed increased application of drone technology, AR/VR and Building Information Modelling (BIM) and other such services, to support remote working capabilities, digital collaboration, data exchange & sharing for insight-driven decision making, he added.