Government tests AI system to identify rural road defects from mobile videos

The government is testing an artificial intelligence system that can identify potholes, cracks and other defects on rural roads from videos recorded on mobile phones, with a nationwide field-validation exercise underway since earlier this month, a senior official said on Sunday.

According to the official, the ministry has given “in-principle approval” for trials of the AI-based road-condition assessment system on roads built under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY). The system is being developed by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) with the National Rural Infrastructure Development Agency (NRIDA).

The technology is only being tested as a tool to support road maintenance decisions, while engineers will continue to physically verify road defects, compare their measurements with the findings generated by the AI system, the official cited above said.

“The AI-based road condition assessment is being developed and field-validated to support efficient and technology-enabled road maintenance assessment,” the official added.

At present, road maintenance is monitored through physical inspections and geo-tagged photographs recorded by field officials on the eMARG mobile application.

AI to look for seven types of road defects

The initial trials earlier this year covered six roads in Pune, Lucknow district, Kamrup district in Assam and Ri-Bhoi district in Meghalaya. Trials using an improved version of the model were subsequently conducted on seven roads in Kanpur district and Berasia block of Bhopal district, the official said.

“The system is being tested to identify visible road defects including potholes, longitudinal and transverse cracks, edge breaks, surface depressions, patches and vegetation-related obstructions,” he added.

“The exercise is intended to provide more data to refine the system before wider use,” the official said.

A wider national field-validation exercise began on September 1, with states and Union territories identifying Programme Implementation Units (PIUs) for trials on PMGSY roads.

Existing vehicles, mobile phones to be used

Currently, a mobile application is being used to record road-condition videos to check the quality of these roads, using a mobile device already mounted on vehicles available with PIUs. The government said dedicated dashcams could be considered later depending on field requirements and operational suitability.

“The approach is meant to allow road-condition assessments without creating a separate fleet of inspection vehicles,” per the official.

The ministry is also considering whether roads could eventually be assessed every quarter under a proposed technology-enabled maintenance framework. However, the frequency has not yet been finalised.

AI-generated assessments will help identify and document maintenance requirements, but engineers will continue to verify the findings and take maintenance-related decisions under existing procedures.

The ministry also said existing contractual provisions, including those relating to maintenance and the Defects Liability Period, will continue to apply.The Defects Liability Period is five years from the completion date. During this period, the contractor remains responsible for correcting defects and carrying out routine maintenance.

“If an AI assessment differs from an engineer’s assessment, the difference will be examined during the field-validation exercise. A verification and review protocol will be finalised before wider implementation,” the ministry responding to HT questions explained.

The ministry said integration of the AI assessment with e-MARG, the existing technology platform, is also being examined as part of the proposed maintenance framework.

“Wider deployment will depend on the outcome of the national validation exercise, operational readiness and further approvals,” the government response said.

“AI-assisted road condition assessment will bring greater transparency, objectivity and technology-driven efficiency to the maintenance assessment of rural roads under PMGSY. By using evidence-based road condition data and systematic assessment, the initiative will strengthen the decision-making process and enable more transparent and accountable maintenance planning. The Government is committed to leveraging technology to further improve the quality, efficiency and effectiveness of rural road maintenance,” Rohit Kansal, Secretary, Ministry of Rural Development said.