NH-17 to have radar cameras

June 17, 2013 12:33 pm | Updated 03:29 pm IST - KOZHIKODE:

The Motor Vehicle Department (MVD) has identified 18 black spots on the accident-prone National Highway-17 (renumbered as NH 66) in the district with a mission to install new radar cameras.

The new surveillance initiative comes from the department in the backdrop of recurring road accidents in the region.

A special control room will be set up by the department to receive live feeds from the cameras and initiate spot action against the vehicles violating road laws.

Both the Vadakara and the Kozhikode Regional Transport Offices will have the facilities to act on radar camera visuals that detect rash driving, jumping of signals, and line traffic.

These will be in addition to the existing surveillance cameras fixed by the police for security purposes.

“The main advantage of radar camera surveillance is that we can minimise the manpower and ensure an uninfluenced action against the violators. The automated operation will ensure cent per cent accuracy and proof for violations,” says S.N. Narayanan Potti, Regional Transport Officer, Vadakara.

Proposal forwarded

According to Mr. Potti, proposal for installing cameras in all these black spots has been forwarded to the Motor Vehicle Department and is likely to be sanctioned shortly as per an assurance received from the top MVD authorities.

The Regional Transport Office in Kozhikode, too, will install four radar cameras to keep track of the traffic rule violations.

Two of the cameras will be installed near the Thondayad and Malaparamba junctions in the city.

Steps have already been taken to set up a special control room at the RT office and record the live feeds.

Actual plan

“The actual proposal of the MVD is to install radar cameras in every five kilometres of the National Highway, between Mannuthi to Manjeswaram. As per the new declaration of the department, we will be able to get 90 radar cameras on this stretch, and Kozhikode district will be one of the main beneficiaries in the scheme,” says Rajiv Puthalath, Regional Transport Officer, Kozhikode.

He adds that the facility will ensure round-the-clock surveillance on the accident-prone areas and help the department to pull up the blatant violators.

Along with the installation of the radar cameras and the strengthening of flash checking with the support of interceptors, the Motor Vehicle Department is also planning to revamp the functioning of three punching stations on the National Highway stretch between Kozhikode and Mahe.

Computerised punching facility is under consideration in all these three stations, now remaining idle. The punching station at Elathur, which has been already closed down, will be reopened in the first phase with computer facilities, and the Kozhikode RTO will look into the project.

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