Panaji, Mar 16 (IANS): The Goa government on Wednesday launched the first Artificial Intelligence signal at Merces Junction in North Goa, which is one of the busiest junctions in the coastal state.

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, after launching AI signals, said: AI signals will not only help traffic management but will also be helpful for security purposes.

"In future, along with traffic management, it will support the police from a security point of view. We can catch traffic law breakers and others through this system," he added.

The system is developed and implemented by Beltech AI.

The system shall benefit traffic police to monitor the traffic, issue e-challans and shall benefit with assistance in security purposes.

The Chief Minister said that the system has been employed on pilot basis at Merces junction on a PPP basis.

"The government shall expand the scope of implementation on a PPP basis by collaborating with private investment," he said.

Sawant appealed to the people to follow traffic rules, which can reduce road accidents and deaths occurring due to it.

Goa PWD Minister Nilesh Cabral said that this AI signal will monitor the movement of traffic from all sides.

"It will detect the traffic and based on it signals will appear," he said.

He said that the government intends to install AI signals across Goa, so the entire mechanism functions well.

According to officials, the AI can detect emergency vehicles such as ambulances and fire-trucks and automatically clears the road.

The AI is designed in such a way that all the signals in the city and state constantly talk to each other, thus optimising traffic at not only junction level, but city and state level.

AI can also detect vehicles which violate the traffic rules and make the road unsafe for everyone. E-challan is automatically raised to such offenders.