The Union Cabinet has approved a ₹1,789.52 crore Intelligent Traffic Management System (ITMS) for Delhi, bringing artificial intelligence, real-time traffic monitoring and automated enforcement into the management of the national capital's road network.
The project will be implemented by Delhi Police and cover 42 identified traffic corridors across the city. It will be rolled out in three phases over 24 months, followed by five years of operations and maintenance.
At the centre of the system will be AI-enabled adaptive traffic signals that can alter signal timings based on traffic conditions instead of relying primarily on fixed schedules. Signals along major corridors will also be coordinated to improve traffic flow and reduce delays.
The ITMS will combine real-time traffic data with automated enforcement and an integrated command-and-control system. It is designed to detect congestion, accidents and other road incidents more quickly, allowing traffic authorities to respond with diversions and other corrective measures.
Emergency mobility is another planned application. The system will be capable of creating green corridors for ambulances and other emergency vehicles through congested stretches by coordinating traffic signals along their routes.
Commuters are also expected to receive real-time information through Variable Message Sign boards and digital platforms covering traffic conditions, diversions and parking availability. Traffic information may additionally be shared with navigation service providers to help motorists select alternative routes.
Automated enforcement will form a significant part of the project. The technology is expected to detect violations including red-light jumping, speeding, wrong-way driving, illegal parking, failure to use helmets and seat belts, and mobile phone use while driving.
AI-based analytics will also be used to identify stolen, blacklisted and hot-listed vehicles, repeat offenders and vehicles associated with hit-and-run cases.
The project comes as Delhi manages approximately 71 lakh active registered vehicles. The government has said growth in vehicle numbers has outpaced expansion of the city's road infrastructure, increasing the need to make more efficient use of existing road capacity.
The ITMS has been under development for several years. Delhi government documents show that Delhi Police signed an agreement with the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing in March 2022 for preparation of the project's detailed report, which was subsequently revised in 2023.
With Cabinet approval now secured, the project shifts Delhi's traffic-management strategy towards a more data-led model, using AI and connected infrastructure to dynamically manage road conditions rather than depending predominantly on fixed signals and manual intervention.
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