Bhubaneswar, March 2: Real-time information related to city traffic will shortly be disseminated to citizens through FM radios.

The police authorities have decided to start the maiden service for dissemination of traffic related information this week. The date is yet to be decided.

According to the plan, traffic related information such as obstructions, rallies and blockades due to accidents, along with suggestions on alternative routes to citizens would be provided on FM. The decision to start the service came after the police introduced a CCTV based surveillance system for the capital city in the first week of February.

" The service would definitely help the commuters to take alternative routes in case of traffic congestion during rallies and other events. In the first phase, we will introduce the service for Bhubaneswar and then it would be extended to Cuttack, when the city comes under CCTV based surveillance system," said police commissioner R.P. Sharma.

The data required for the service would be gathered through the CCTVs installed at 27 important locations in the city. Real-time traffic condition on roads will be monitored at the CCTV control room and passed on to the radio stations for broadcast. City police have also approached all four FM radio channels for dissemination of the traffic updates.

"With the rapid expansion of Bhubaneswar, there is a tremendous vehicular rush during peak hours and often people are forced to be stranded on road during a road accident. But with the new service, they would be able to get the traffic updates and can choose alternative routes," said a police official.

Police officials said the traffic updates of other areas not equipped with CCTVs would also be sent to the control room through VHF (very high frequency radio) sets, which would be subsequently sent to radio broadcasters. Police said dissemination of traffic updates through radio channels has been an integral part of several Indian cities including Patna, Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad.

"The service would be of immense help to commuters, especially during the Assembly sessions. The area in and around Mahatma Gandhi Marg is extremely prone to heavy traffic congestion during rallies, and most of time we are forced to remain stranded. But the new service would definitely aware us about the situation and hence we would be able to take a different route," said Bikash Rout, a commuter.