The pre-paid auto service launched at Secunderabad railway station might be evoking criticism for the exorbitant fares, but the surveillance cameras installed at prepaid auto booths are enabling police detect missing baggage of passengers with ease.
With these closed circuit surveillance cameras (CCTV), police have succeeded in tracing missing baggage of at least 11 passengers. An auto rickshaw driver was also caught on charges of escaping with the valuables of a passenger. “The footage helped us to zero in on the errant driver after receiving a complaint from a commuter. With the help of registration number, we caught him and recovered 40 tolas gold,” said DCP (Traffic) G.V.G. Ashok Kumar.
The city traffic police inaugurated the facility at Secunderabad railway station four months ago with three booths each at the main entrance and also the entrance from Bhoiguda side. Apart from two pole-mounted cameras, each booth is fitted with a camera to record the movement of auto drivers. The pole-mounted cameras keep a tab on those moving suspiciously on the premises of the railway station while the cameras attached to booths keep an eye on the auto drivers.
The images of the driver and auto registration number are captured after passengers get into the auto.
“The server can store the data for 15 days. Even if we receive complaint two or three days after the incident, we can trace the driver,” the DCP explained. According to him, the facility has been yielding better results in terms of ensuring security to commuters.
Buoyed by the success, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) requested the traffic police to provide a link to their control room which is monitoring the movements of passengers on the station premises through CCTVs round the clock.
Mahankali Traffic Inspector G. Venkat Ramana Goud said plans have also been drawn up to collect the phone numbers of auto drivers. At least 1,500 autos ply through these booths, he added.
