The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), through Indian Highways Management Company Limited (IHMCL), signed a memorandum of understanding with the National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU) to strengthen digital security and data protection for national highway management. The agreement was executed by senior officials from the three institutions and seeks to foster collaboration in research, training and consultancy with emphasis on cyber forensics, digital evidence integrity and advanced technological applications relevant to highway operations and digital platforms. The partnership aims to enhance institutional capacity, knowledge creation and technological resilience across critical infrastructure.

Under the memorandum, the university will provide technical guidance to IHMCL for establishment of laboratories equipped with state-of-the-art technologies, including closed circuit television systems, multimedia and audio?video analysis facilities and dedicated cyber and digital forensics laboratories. The university will also support development of specialised training programmes in cyber and digital forensics, multimedia analysis and related domains to strengthen cyber resilience and evidence integrity within highway management. A coordinator will be nominated by each organisation to oversee implementation and periodically review progress.

Priority areas identified for collaboration include Multi Lane Free Flow (MLFF), Advanced Traffic Management Systems (ATMS), Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR), Traffic Management Systems (TMS) and Weigh in Motion (WIM), along with secure camera based imaging, encrypted data storage and retrieval and cybersecurity reviews of critical applications. The memorandum envisages scientific improvement of imaging accuracy and the establishment of Security Operations Centre (SOC) services and forensic validation laboratories to ensure forensic reliability and evidence integrity. Joint research, development and consultancy projects will be undertaken in mutually agreed domains to translate technical solutions into operational practice.

The memorandum will remain valid for a period of three years and is expected to reinforce measures that protect expanding national highway infrastructure and its digital ecosystems. The collaboration reflects an institutional push to integrate forensic validation and cyber security within traffic management and automated enforcement frameworks. Authorities view the partnership as a step towards building robust, secure and scalable systems for future highway operations.