In an attempt to fortify safety measures in and around the ever bustling Pandit Nehru Bus Station (PNBS) in Vijayawada, the AP State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) has embarked on a safety plan which includes bringing every nook and cranny of the sprawling bus shelter under the purview of surveillance cameras.
In addition to the existing 32 closed circuit cameras installed at vantage points, the RTC officials have identified additional spots to install 18 more (tentatively) new cameras.
The PNBS is the second largest bus station in Asia after Imliban bus shelter in Hyderabad and is a major transit point. Thousands of people board and alight buses at this place which is an important link in connecting the three regions of Andhra Pradesh.
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“Keeping the safety of passengers in mind, we have decided to strengthen security net in and around this place. The idea is to install a total of over 50 CC cameras to keep a hawk’s vigil on suspicious movements if any. Some main spots have been identified in the departure block and we’ll be on the job once the spots in the arrival block are also identified,” said RTC’s Regional Manager K. Gopinadh Reddy.
The City Police Commissioner N. Madhusudhan Reddy, who visited the bus station a couple of days ago to review the situation, has advised the RTC officials to replace the damaged CC cameras.
“As an advisory agency, we have also proposed segregation and strengthening of the compound wall along the railway track on the western side of the bus station. Being heavily crowded area all the time, it will otherwise be difficult to prevent entry of people from all sides,” said Mr. Reddy.
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The security measures are initiated in the wake of recent bomb blasts in Hyderabad which claimed 17 lives and left many others injured.
The RTC Regional Manager said that the new cameras proposed to be installed were the ones with clear night vision. “It will enable us to monitor the road outside the bus station also. We also plan to install barbed wire on the compound wall to be constructed to divide the bus station and the adjacent railway track,” he said.