NT Reporter
Panaji
In over 21 months, the Goa traffic police have identified and resolved 4,592 incidents of traffic congestion through real time traffic monitoring using Google Maps.
During this period, the police also took action against 731 incidents related to traffic violations that were brought to the notice of the police by social media users.
A senior police officer said that the integration of digital tools such as Google Maps (since August 27, 2024 to May 2026) has proved beneficial in traffic management wherein police have taken remedial measures in incidents of traffic congestion.
The Goa traffic police are remotely monitoring the traffic at a number of locations via Google Maps. Apart from this service, the police are also using the social media platform as a means of communication with the public by providing them with updates on road diversions, road blockages etc. The social media users also post their grievances which in turn provide crucial feedback for the police, said the senior police officer.
According to the police, the traffic is regularly monitored on Google Maps at the Traffic Response And Congestion Control (TRACK) unit at the traffic headquarters in Altinho, Panaji.
It was inaugurated by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on August 27, 2024 to monitor traffic congestion and reduce response time in clearing the congestion for immediate relief to the motorists and general public.
When traffic congestion is noticed along a road the traffic cell concerned, including the local police, are alerted and remedial measures are taken, said a senior police officer.
The officer said that “Google Maps show routes with color coded lines, indicating the traffic movement. Green – no traffic delays, Orange-medium amount of traffic and Red – traffic delays. Once the red line is noticed, immediately the police officials concerned are instructed to take remedial measures.” The traffic can slow down due to various reasons such as accidents, break-down etc, the police said.
