The Delhi government has made it mandatory for all road-owning agencies and utility operators to report their excavation projects on the Call Before You Dig (CBuD) application and website, officials said on Thursday. The move aims to streamline road digging work across the national capital by ensuring that all excavation activities are recorded on a single digital platform.
Authorities believe the system will improve citizen safety, reduce inconvenience for commuters, and minimise accidental damage to underground infrastructure such as gas pipelines, sewerage networks, power cables and stormwater drains. Officials have also directed departments to incorporate the use of the CBuD platform into contracts and tenders for road-related works, ensuring better coordination among multiple agencies involved in digging activities.
Digital Platform To Streamline Road Excavation
According to officials, the CBuD platform will serve as a centralised system where agencies must upload details of any proposed digging before starting work. The portal allows departments and contractors to mark excavation locations digitally and identify nearby underground utilities before excavation begins. Once the information is uploaded, alerts are automatically sent to concerned utility owners so they can review the plans, flag risks, or coordinate their own work.
Officials said the system is designed to bring greater coordination between agencies responsible for water supply, electricity, telecommunications, gas pipelines and civic infrastructure. By ensuring that all projects are visible on a single platform, authorities expect fewer instances of repeated digging of the same road by different departments. An official noted that the initiative aims to create better planning and transparency while also helping residents stay informed about roadwork that could affect traffic or access in their neighbourhoods.
Addressing Long-Standing Issues Of Unplanned Road Digging
Frequent and poorly coordinated road excavation has long been a challenge in Delhi, often leading to traffic congestion, damaged roads and inconvenience for residents. In many cases, different departments carry out digging work at different times without prior coordination, resulting in freshly repaired roads being dug up again. Such activities can also damage underground utilities such as optical fibre cables, gas pipelines, water pipelines and power lines, sometimes causing service disruptions or safety hazards.
The CBuD system has been introduced as part of a broader effort to prevent these issues by ensuring that agencies check existing underground infrastructure before beginning excavation. Officials said that emergency excavation requests can also be submitted through the platform, allowing quicker approvals while still maintaining coordination among departments. Authorities have conducted training sessions and awareness programmes to familiarise engineers, contractors and officials with the platform so that it becomes a routine part of infrastructure planning and maintenance.
By requiring agencies to upload their excavation plans in advance, the government hopes to create a more organised and accountable system for road maintenance and infrastructure development across the city.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
Urban development often brings necessary infrastructure upgrades, but when poorly coordinated, it can also create daily challenges for citizens. Repeatedly dug-up roads, traffic delays and damaged utilities are problems that many residents of large cities have experienced. Delhi’s decision to mandate the use of a unified digital platform for excavation reporting reflects an effort to introduce transparency, coordination and accountability into a system that has long struggled with fragmented planning.
Technology alone may not solve the issue unless departments consistently follow the rules and communicate effectively with one another. However, if implemented properly, initiatives like CBuD can help cities become more organised, reduce public inconvenience and protect critical infrastructure that millions depend on every day.
