Boosting confidence of citizens

Electronic surveillance with CC cameras round the clock

Commissioner of Police B Shivadhar Reddy and Government Whip and Visakha South MLA Dronamaraju Srinivas Rao at the control room for monitoring the 24 CC TV camera network at Kurupam Market Kotha Road in Visakhapatnam on Saturday. Photo: C.V.Subrahmanyam

Shoppers and visitors to the jewellery shops on the Kotha Road in Kurupam Market can go around with confidence as they are under electronic surveillance of 24 cc cameras.

The high resolution cameras record the movement of the people, vehicles and activity round-the-clock on the stretch from Kotha Road to Ramuluvari temple and deny an opportunity to criminals, City Commissioner of Police B Shivadhar Reddy said while inaugurating the network of cameras and a control room set up for monitoring the cameras. The data of the cameras would be backed up for 30 to 60 days providing the police an opportunity to verify activities in the area, he explained.

The shops and establishments too should set up cc cameras for their own safety and deterrence, he advised.

Camera network

This is the first surveillance network being set up in a commercial area in the city outside the individual malls and shopping complexes. This would go a long way to support the 94 traffic surveillance camera network being established by the police, the foundation for which was laid on Friday, the City police chief said.

The monitoring room has a power back up and the cameras too are powered by shops which have power back up. This would ensure that the surveillance would not be hampered by the power cuts. Visakhapatnam Gold and Silver Jewellery Merchants’ Welfare Association set up the facility with encouragement and support of the City Police. Realising the potential of the facility, they pooled up Rs 10 lakh for it, president of the association Godi Narasimha Chari said. Treasurer Y Sudhakar and secretary NV Atchyuta Ramaiah played a key role in getting the project grounded, he explained. The project was executed by Navadhari Technologies.

Thanking the police for grounding the project that would boost the confidence of the citizens, Visakhapatnam South MLA and Government Whip Dronamraju Srinivasa Rao offered to part fund a similar project in another location in the city. He urged the police to identify a busy centre in his constituency and promised to release Rs 5 lakh for the purpose.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) P Viswaprasad, Addl Dy CP (Admin) Atchuta Rao, Addl CP (Crime) Mohammad Khan, Asst CP (East Sub-Division) S Venkata Rao and CI One Town Syed Eliyas Mohammad, were also present. The members of the jewellery merchants association and the shopkeepers from the area were also present.