Buses plying between Srivaikuntam and Palayamkottai have come under police surveillance. CCTV cameras have been installed in these buses in a bid to prevent crime in Srivaikuntam, which has been in the news for a series of violent incidents.
Collector M. Ravikumar launched the initiative in Srivaikuntam bus stand in the presence of Superintendent of Police Ashwin M. Kotnis on Tuesday.
Lauding the first-of-its-kind initiative in the State by the Tuticorin district police, the Collector said the cameras would not only serve as a deterrent but also help the police in gathering evidence. Initially, four cameras have been installed in each of the five private buses. With donor funding, other buses would also come under surveillance, the Collector said.
The cameras have been placed to focus on the front and back footboards and rows of seats. Skirmishes between students over eve-teasing and playing of songs in buses had snowballed into caste clashes in the past, Mr. Kotnis told The Hindu . Two police constables have also been deployed in each bus. Forty-five buses are plying between Srivaikuntam and Palayamkottai on 26 routes.
Stickers highlighting buses under CCTV camera surveillance would be pasted and stringent action taken against those attempting to damage the camera, said the police.
