It may sound unbelievable in this age of technology, State Transport Corporation is still technologically challenged. Several major bus stations across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, including the temple town of Tirupati, Kurnool, Guntur and Nizamabad, still lack closed-circuit television camera coverage.
With a whopping 1.10 to 1.30 lakh pilgrims walking in and out of the Central Bus Station-Tirupati every day, barring three hours between midnight and 3 a.m, authorities have failed to pay heed to the security risk and install CCTV cameras. Incidentally, CBS-Tirupati is next only to the Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station (MGBS) here and the Pandit Nehru Bus Station (PNBS) at Vijayawada in foot fall. Those in Kurnool and Guntur too, do not have CCTV surveillance.
It is only after the recent shoot-out at Suryapet bus station in Nalgonda district earlier this month that helped the police to zero in on SIMI operatives that the RTC officials woke up. Review of the security aspect revealed that Mahatma Gandhi, Jubilee and CBS Hangar Bus stations in Hyderabad, Dwaraka Bus Station in Visakhapatnam, PNBS and City Bus Station at Vijayawada, Ongole, Karimnagar and Suryapet bus stations are covered by CCTV surveillance.
In recent times, more so in the wake of the Suryapet episode, the APSRTC headquarters has received eight proposals from different bus stations across the two States, including Armoor, Nizamabad, Zaheerabad, Jadcherla, Guntur, Kurnool and Tirupati.
Managing Director of the AP State Road Transport Corporation, N. Sambasiva Rao, was forthright in admitting that they had been caught between looking at the CCTV system as a revenue generator only and not at the security angle.
“We are now seized of the matter and examining the proposals,” he said, pointing out that the relatively-low level of penetration of CCTV cameras was a cause for concern. “Suryapet shootout is a wake up call for us and reminds us of the need for saturation coverage of all major bus stations with CCTV cameras,” he said.
“Also, I have proposed a meeting with the Additional Directors-General R.P. Thakur (AP) and Sudeep Lakhtakia (TS). Very soon we will come up with an action plan,” he said.
'Constant monitoring at MGBS'
MGBS, Hyderabad, has 28 cameras, including six that revolve 360 degree that record images of high quality. The other cameras have 180 degree movement that cover the entire platform. Regional Manager-Ranga Reddy district C. Vinod Kumar says police officers visit the control room several times during the day and monitor the footage.
