Data-driven infrastructure planning is promising but raises governance concerns. Discuss with reference to the National Transport Data Repository.

In October 2026 the Union Cabinet approved the Integrated Transport & Logistics Authority (ITLA). One of its parts is a National Transport Data Repository, which will combine GSTN e-way bills, FASTag, Vahan and GPS-based data [1]. This can make transport planning evidence-based, but putting so much data in one place also needs strong safeguards.

Promise of data-driven planning

• Measured freight flows: real movement data lets ITLA's 10+ year National Transport Master Plan target the corridors goods actually use, not assumed ones [1].
• Accurate baselines: a DPIIT–NCAER study used GSTN and RBI data to put logistics cost at 7.97% of GDP. This corrected the older 13–14% estimates, which had confused policymaking [2].
• Whole-project accountability: data supports ITLA's monitoring of projects above ₹500 crore and its post-completion impact assessment [1].
• Policy fit: it delivers the National Logistics Policy's goal of a data-driven decision-support system and helps its target of a top-25 LPI rank by 2030 [3].
• Modal shift: road makes up 41.7% of logistics cost and rail only 6.7% [2]. Flow data can show which freight could move to cheaper, greener rail and waterways.

Governance concerns

• Privacy: FASTag and Vahan records can be traced to individual vehicle owners. The DPDP Act, 2023 lets the State use personal data without consent for certain purposes, which weakens purpose limitation [4]. Any such use must still pass the proportionality test of Puttaswamy (2017).
• Weak legal basis: ITLA is a Cabinet-approved SPV, not a statutory body [1]. No law passed by Parliament sets its data-sharing rules or oversight.
• Federal gaps: first- and last-mile roads belong to states and cities. Yet SMILE city logistics plans cover only 8 pilot cities [2], so the data may mostly reflect central corridors.
• Blind spots: e-way bill and toll data mainly capture formal, larger flows. Smaller firms, which already face higher logistics costs [2], may not show up.
• Cybersecurity: a single national freight dataset is a strategic asset and an attractive target for attacks.

Way forward

• Anonymise and aggregate the data, and publish non-sensitive sets, as PM GatiShakti Public does with its 230 datasets [2].
• Give the repository a legal basis, with Data Protection Board oversight [4].
• Share dashboards with states through LEADS, which already tracks truck speeds on key corridors [2].

The repository can turn transport planning from guesswork into evidence and advance SDG 9 (resilient infrastructure). To make it legitimate, ITLA should build in privacy from the start, work with states as partners and publish its results openly.