Ranchi, Jan. 14: Birsa Munda Bus Terminus, spread over 18 acres at Khadgarha in Ranchi, has got the much-needed security boost with round-the-clock camera vigil.
Currently, there are only eight security guards, hired by Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC), and a private contractor at the terminus.
But the civic body took a step ahead and installed 36 powerful CCTV cameras on the premises on Wednesday. The authorities expect the gadgets to start functioning in a day or two.
Shashi Prakash, RMC city manager who is responsible for the management of the bus stand, said the installations were complete. "Only some technicalities are left to make them functional," said Prakash, adding that the total cost of the CCTV project was Rs 5.7 lakh.
After the state-of-the-art bus stand at Khadgarha, which was revamped at a cost of Rs 15 crore, was inaugurated by chief minister Raghubar Das in November 2015, RMC floated tenders for installation of CCTV cameras in May last year.
"Sigma e Solution Pvt. Limited had bagged the tender. The company has entered into a three-year agreement with RMC for maintenance and operation of the CCTV cameras," he said.
An employee of the company said mainly three kinds of cameras - Pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ), dome and bullet - had been installed. "These have good video resolution and are capable of covering a wide area even at night," he added.
A control room has been set up on the ground floor.
Sources in RMC said that more cameras might be installed in future as there were many parts of the bus stand premises like dormitories, which were not under surveillance.
Apart from keeping round-the-clock vigil at the terminus, these CCTV cameras will be of great help to Ranchi police. Some cameras have been installed on Kantatoli and Tamtam Road, which are the entry and exist points of the bus terminus. These will come to the use of police patrol teams.
Commuters have often complained about lack of security measures at the terminus. Around 350 buses for Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and various districts of Jharkhand operate from here everyday.
Now, passengers are happy with the enhanced security. "Though no major crime has been reported at the bus stand so far, the terminus and its nearby area are frequented by hoodlums. Now their activities can be checked," said Yoganand Sharma, a frequent traveller to Patna and Calcutta.
