A few days ago, an elderly man as he walked out of a public sector bank near Jagadamba Junction carrying about ₹ 87,000 in a cash bag, chilly powder was thrown in his face by a youth and the accused snatched the bag and ran away. This was reported to the police, who with the help of CC TV footage from the PTZ camera that was installed at a signal post, nabbed the accused within two hours.
CC TV footage has been playing an important role in cracking crime in the city and since then cameras have been installed at the signal posts and integrated to the Command Control Centre (CCC) located in the Police Commissioner’s office, the police have been able to crack about 190 cases including crime such as snatching, kidnapping and hit and run cases. The CCC was inaugurated by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu in April last.
But all is not well with the smart signal system and the CC TV coverage. At the moment the programme is half-way through and it has been jeopardised by a court case filed by advertising agencies who are involved in hoarding business.
The contract for the integrated signals and Command Control Centre was given to Hyderabad-based company Stanpower in 2013 on BOT (build-operate-transfer) basis.
The contract was allotted to Stanpower after a tender process and after an initial contract of 70 signals it was enhanced to 94 traffic junctions.
The business model was decided upon that the company would generate revenue by setting up advertisement boards.
By October 2014, the company had got about 40 signals with CC TV cameras operational, but Cyclone Hudhud flattened all the poles, and the company had to incur a loss of about ₹ 7 crore.
Thereafter, the company requested the waiver of advertising tax and increase of lease tenure to 21 years to make over the loss.
The company already installed 47 basic signals with PTZ cameras and work has come to a standstill due to the court case.
What needs to be done
Sources in the police say the project once completed will not only benefit the traffic department but also enhance the security cover of the city.
“The issue is in the hands of the GVMC, which is also part of the tripartite agreement between Stanpower-Police and GVMC. The company has already invested ₹ 23 crore another ₹6 crore will be spent on it. We are unable to get the CCC fully operational due to the delay. It is a highly modern system and part of the smart city concept and the legal tangle has to be cleared quickly,” said ADCP (Traffic) K. Mahendra Patrudu.
