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Saturday , 23 March 2024

Introducing technology into different elements of the Transportation industry

Madhu Meenakshi Karthikeyan, DataCorp Traffic

Madhu Meenakshi Karthikeyan, DataCorp Traffic, says her strengths lie in taking key strategic decisions always

The driving forces that made you take up traffic management…

Since childhood, I’ve always chosen a path that was least taken by others. I see joy in doing something different than others. My favourite quote is “The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do”.

I always wanted to make a positive difference to people around me and the society that we live in. I strongly believe that the fourth important thing in life next to Food, Clothing and Shelter is Transport. By being a part of this industry, I’m able to make the Transport safe and sustainable.

Growing up with my grandfather T. Balasundaram Nadar, a well-known businessman and a man of principles, it became quite natural for me to start and run my own business.

Way back you started with just five staff members. What have been the guiding factors while expanding? You might have had opportunities for training and mentoring women candidates. What are the practices that have helped nurture and retain talent?

Thanks for reminding us of our humble start. We’re now over 1400. The expansion becomes inevitable when you have a huge target. The expansion appears simple to me when you have fool proof processes and a strong core team that can move to new locations and replicate those systems. We believe in girl power, we create a safe environment and respect them more here.

You have offices within and outside India. You travel a lot too. What are your personal strengths and contributions in building up DataCorp to this level?

DataCorp and its subsidiaries have eight offices across India, two in South Africa, two in the UK and one in Germany. We work for clients in 23 countries across the globe. This number is growing aggressively. Travelling becomes a part of life and it gives you exposure to the external environment and keeps you updated.

Every company must have a vision and the mission shows the path that we need to take to accomplish our vision. Once these are set, the rest follows. As a leader of the organisation, you must be a visionary decision maker and should have the courage to stick to it. I guess my strengths lie in taking key strategic decisions throughout.

I strongly believe in a few management practices: Stick to your basics – follow the process; Ethical practices/ Integrity- Zero deviation; Transparent Communication;

Quality being the top priority and Innovate and continuous improvement.

Your new product offerings

My decision to start a small R&D division in 2015 has grown significantly and has now become DC’s Transportation Technology Services (TTS) Division. Technology adoption has been in our DNA ever since. DataCorp’s new purpose is to introduce technology into different elements of the Transportation industry like Data, Design, advisory, road safety and enforcement.

Our latest product offering is very close to my heart as this will save a lot of human lives and make our roads safer.

AI enabled Automated Violation Detection and Enforcement system:

This is a comprehensive system that uses technologies like ANPR, 2D/4D Radar, Image detection, Processing, cloud computing and 5G. This system can automatically detect multiple violations that include speeding, no-helmet, no-seatbelt, triple riding, wrong direction travel, bus lane intrusion, pavement riding, nonstandard registration plate, etc. This system will alert the law enforcement agencies of blacklisted vehicles in their jurisdiction. All these happen in real time.

The purpose of this system is to safeguard the road users and ensure the Indian law enforcement agencies have the most advanced technology that is available across the globe, at their disposal.

DataCorp has over 70% of women employees. In simple terms, We believe in girl power; we respect them and create a safe environment for them”

Mumbai Metro’s first all-women Stations

Empowering women, MMRDA and MMMOCL have initiated two all-women metro stations on Mumbai Metro. Operations at Akurli on line 2A and Eksar on line 7 are managed by a team of 76 women employees; from the station manager to the security staff. The all-female staff at the two metro stations will be deployed for three shifts. While Station Controller, Excess Fare Officer, Ticket Sales Officer, Shift Supervisor, and Customer Care Officer will look after the efficient operation of the metro system and assist passengers, the Security and Housekeeping staff will ensure safe and clean environment on the stations. “We believe that gender diversity in the workplace is essential for driving innovation and achieving organizational success. We hope that this initiative will inspire more women to take leadership roles in the transportation,” Mr. S.V.R. Srinivas, Metropolitan Commissioner, MMRDA & CMD Maha Mumbai Metro.

Along with facilities like separate women changing rooms throughout metro lines 2A and 7 for the metro staff, there are designated women metro coaches, washrooms and a toll free helpline number for women commuters also.

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