‘Intelligent’ traffic system monitors garbage trucks in Pune

Even after a year, the Rs16.99-crore intelligent traffic system (ITS), launched for effective traffic management, is not aiding the traffic police at all. Instead, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) is now using 70-odd CCTV surveillance cameras under the ITS primarily for monitoring garbage vehicles, garbage depot, octroi posts and water works.

Speaking to DNA, deputy commissioner of police (traffic) Manoj Patil said, “Now, the entire ITS system is being controlled by the PMC. Cameras are in place to capture red light violations, but we don’t get any feed. The camera feed goes to the central control room managed by the PMC at Swargate.”

While this is the state of the ITS in Pune, in Bangalore and Delhi, the traffic police are using this system effectively for traffic management.

Senior inspector of police (traffic), Surendra Nath Deshmukh, said repeated requests to the PMC for allowing exclusive or parallel access to the feed to their control room has been turned down.

“Though the number of cameras on records is 70, many of them are not functioning due to poor maintenance. There are around 35 cameras that are functional. From these, some cameras are installed near garbage depot and water works. If the traffic police are given at least parallel access to the feeds from the surveillance cameras, it will help in better traffic management,” he said.

Patil, however, said that just receiving the camera feed would not suffice. “Even if we track offenders via camera feed, there is additional cost involved in actually take action against the offenders. After identifying the vehicle registration number, we have to generate challan, issue notices to traffic violators and so on,” he said.

“In Bangalore, the traffic police get a grant of Rs40 crore annually for the city’s traffic management. Here we don’t have any funds at all and we have to depend on the local body completely,” he added.

The DCP (traffic) said a proposal has been submitted to the state government for a Rs72-lakh grant for effective traffic management.

“We have also requested the state government to give the traffic police the right to handle the traffic infrastructure in the city, which is now managed by the PMC,” he said.

Speaking to DNA, PMC’s ITS incharge, SR Pople, said lack of funds is the main reason for not providing parallel connectivity to the police department. However, he denied that half of the surveillance cameras are not working.

“Almost all cameras are working properly. There are some maintenance issues like power failure, connectivity and repairs that we take care of from time to time. About 70 cameras are used for critical place surveillance, which also includes sewage treatment site, water works and octroi posts. Also, we have installed 40 cameras for red-light violation detection and passenger information system,” he said.

He said currently 10 people are working in the central control room (CCR) located at Swargate, where the live data is stored.

“Whenever the traffic or the crime branch wants to monitor any surveillance cameras, they visit the CCR. The entire system is maintained by the Kerala government undertaking, Keltron, to whom we have given the tender for five years. The police are also provided data on demand,” he said.