PRISM-SG Portal Launched to Digitise and Accelerate Approval Processes for Road Over Bridges
In a significant push towards modernising India’s infrastructure ecosystem, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari and Union Minister for Railways, Information & Broadcasting, Electronics & IT Ashwini Vaishnaw jointly launched the PRISM-SG Portal (Portal for Rail-Road Inspection & Stages Management – Steel Girders) here on Wednesday.
The initiative marks a major milestone in enhancing efficiency, transparency, and seamless inter-agency coordination for the construction of Road Over Bridges (ROBs) across the country.
Addressing Long-standing Bottlenecks
The construction of ROBs has traditionally been plagued by lengthy approval procedures involving multiple clearances from Indian Railways. Key approvals required include General Arrangement Drawing (GAD), Structural Drawings, Quality Assurance Plan (QAP), Welding Procedure Specification Sheet (WPSS), and stage-wise fabrication inspections of steel girders.
While GAD and Structural Drawings are already processed through the existing RRCAS portal, the remaining critical processes — QAP approval, WPSS submission, and physical inspection of steel girders — were largely handled through cumbersome offline and paper-based methods. This fragmented approach often resulted in prolonged delays, repeated queries, poor tracking, and limited real-time coordination among stakeholders.
End-to-End Digital Solution
The newly launched PRISM-SG Portal has been specifically designed to digitise and integrate these vital approval and inspection stages. It offers a complete online ecosystem that enables:
- End-to-end submission of documents
- Digital scrutiny and examination
- Online raising and resolution of queries
- Swift approvals
- Scheduling of inspections
- Uploading of inspection reports, photographs, and test results
Every transaction is backed by a robust audit trail and real-time monitoring dashboard, ensuring complete transparency and accountability at every step.
The portal brings together all key stakeholders on a single platform — Road Owning Departments, Indian Railways officials, contractors, fabricators, and independent inspection agencies — eliminating the need for physical movement of files and repeated follow-ups.
Dramatic Reduction in Timelines
Officials expect the PRISM-SG Portal to drastically cut down the approval and inspection cycle for steel girder-related processes from the current average of nearly 12 months to just 3 to 4 months. This time-saving will significantly accelerate the overall execution of ROB projects and related railway bridge works.
Faster clearances will not only reduce project costs but also minimise idle time for contractors and fabricators, leading to better resource utilisation and improved project viability.
Boost to National Infrastructure Goals
Road Over Bridges are critical for seamless connectivity, eliminating level crossings, and enhancing road and rail safety. With India rapidly expanding its national highway network and modernising railway infrastructure, timely completion of ROBs has become a priority.
The PRISM-SG Portal is expected to play a pivotal role in meeting this demand by removing procedural hurdles and introducing digital efficiency. It aligns with the government’s broader vision of leveraging technology for “Minimum Government, Maximum Governance” and supports the ambitious target of building world-class infrastructure.
Minister Gadkari and Minister Vaishnaw emphasised that the portal represents a collaborative effort between the Ministries of Road Transport & Highways and Railways to deliver faster, safer, and more reliable transport infrastructure for citizens.
By digitising a key pain point in bridge construction, the PRISM-SG Portal is set to become a model for future digital reforms in the infrastructure sector, ultimately strengthening economic growth and improving connectivity across urban and rural India.
