New Delhi(India): Alphabet Inc (GOOGL.O) Google Maps in partnership with Tech Mahindra and Genesis, has launched its Street View service in 10 cities in India, a company executive said on Wednesday.
The Indian government had earlier rejected the feature’s rollout, which shows panoramic images of roads and other sites. According to local media, the rollout was ruled out for security reasons.
Google said that local partners completed data collection on Wednesday, adding that the service will be available in 50 Indian cities by the end of this year.
India rejected Google’s plan to collect images for its Street View service in 2016 over security concerns of sensitive defence installations.
Local media reports said that the government feared the technology might aid terrorism at the time. India has long worried that its military installations and high-security areas are vulnerable to attack. Like many other countries, it has insisted on controlling how the country’s international and disputed borders are represented.
“We are proud to partner with Google to use technology to help reduce traffic congestion and improve road safety for the people of Bengaluru. We are the first Indian city to have started a pilot with Google to optimize the traffic light configuration in Bengaluru to reduce signal wait time for commuters. As per the data provided by Google, the revised plan by Google resulted in an average 20% wait time reduction per driver going through the pilot intersection during the day,” said Ravikanthe Gowda, Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) in Bengaluru, in a statement.
Google said it has also partnered with traffic authorities and aggregators to help people across eight Indian cities — Delhi, Hyderabad, Chandigarh, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Gurgaon, Bangalore, and Agra — make improved travel decisions and avoid congestion zones with information on road closures and incidents.
