Kolkata: RVNL Starts QR Coding Of Metro Pillars, Information Regarding The Structure To Be Accessed Through App

The newly built pillars of Calcutta Metro projects are now Quick Response (QR)-coded with their construction DNA for quick reference, reports The Telegraph.

The implementing agency for the New Garia-Airport Metro corridor, Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd (RVNL), has started QR coding with two piers that support the viaduct in front of City Centre, New Town. The stretch would have 800-odd piers along the 26km stretch.

Both these pillars are assigned a QR code that contains information ranging from design and construction details to inspection information, where all information could be read with a scan and a password input using a mobile-based application.

Earlier, the absence of such information had put the state government in an awkward position, when a portion of the Majerhat bridge collapsed in September.

“If, during an inspection, an engineering team needs a particular piece of information, scanning the QR code on the pillar is the fastest way to finding it,” an official was quoted in the report as saying.

The engineering information such as drawings of the pier and the span, a list of what lies underneath, materials used, the quantity of those materials and even procurement details could be stored in the QR code.

“The average life of these constructions is 120 years. But to ensure that the structures remain safe, particularly if there has been an earthquake or an accident, there must be routine checks, and for this, access to data is critical,” a senior RVNL official said.