Gujarat govt announces new portal to monitor safety of bridges, roads, buildings in real time

Gandhinagar: The Gujarat govt announced on Tuesday that an asset safety monitoring portal will soon be launched to ensure the safety of roads, bridges, buildings and other infrastructure. More than 1.50 lakh state govt assets will be digitally monitored through the portal. "The portal will ensure integrated monitoring of all govt and public infrastructure, including roads, bridges, and buildings, at the state level, to prevent any infrastructure from becoming hazardous to public safety," an official statement informed on Tuesday. The most serious incident was the Gambhira bridge collapse near Vadodara in July 2025, where a 40-year-old structure gave way, sending multiple vehicles into the Mahisagar river and leaving 22 dead.The general administration department (GAD) has issued a circular now, under which, more than 1.50 lakh public properties, including roads, bridges, govt buildings and other civic infrastructure will now be registered on a centralized digital platform. "GIS-based location, photographs, details of the responsible officer, and a special digital identity will ensure scientific and continuous monitoring of these properties. This will also make future construction processes data-driven," the govt said. The asset safety management portal will ensure there is no negligence in reporting a property's structural weakness, inspection delays, or repair needs, the govt said, adding that an automated inspection calendar and real-time alert system will compel the administrative system to take timely action. The Union govt also operates several digital platforms with related objectives. The finance ministry's SAMPATI portal functions as an electronic asset register for central ministries, but it is not designed for ground-level safety inspections. The Union ministry of statistics and programme implementation (MoSPI)'s PAIMANA platform, launched in Sep 2025, tracks large central sector projects of Rs 150 crore and above, focusing on delays and cost overruns rather than structural safety.In the Gujarat system, field officers will upload inspection reports and photographs on this integrated portal. District collectors and municipal commissioners will conduct weekly, monthly, and quarterly reviews. A dedicated asset safety monitoring cell established in GAD will conduct daily state-level monitoring and regularly report to the chief secretary.