Patna: The state government on Monday decided to introduce a "safe city surveillance" system across Bihar to check sexual harassment and crime. It will be implemented in phases, beginning with Patna district.

A decision in this regard was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by chief minister Nitish Kumar, who resumed official work from Monday after a bout of illness that lasted almost a week. The cabinet approved a total of 63 points.

"Safe city surveillance will be first implemented in Patna district areas (including railways) to check eve-teasing at public places and crime control. CCTV cameras will be installed under this and approval has been given to spend Rs 111 crore on the scheme," said cabinet secretariat principal secretary Brijesh Mehrotra.

The scheme will be implemented by the state home department and sources said that the network of CCTV cameras will be connected to a control room that will be monitored 24x7 by police personnel, who will continuously liase with those on duty on the ground, all the while anticipating and alerting them about possible situations.

People apprehending trouble and danger could also alert the control room, which will initiate action. The CCTV net around the public places will also help track miscreants.

The scheme will be implemented in all the districts in a phased manner.

Currently, Patna has CCTV cameras installed at major thoroughfares, which are used for crime control and traffic management. Their administrative control is under the police. However, the focus of the new scheme will be on public places.

In an effort to improve traffic management in cities, the cabinet gave its nod to the proposal to create nine traffic police stations and posts of 1,485 personnel to man them.

These traffic police stations will be opened in all municipal corporation areas and cities having a population of more than two lakh.

The cabinet also approved the proposal to open a rail police station at Chandan railway station on the Deoghar-Banka railway section under Jamalpur rail district. Altogether 61 posts are to be created for the police station.

A rail police post will be created at Jamui and will be manned by 30 personnel, while another such rail police post will be established at Barhaiya, which will function with 35 personnel.

A regular police outpost with 17 posts is to be created at diesel locomotive factory, which is coming up at Marhaura in Saran district.