Cuttack, Feb. 18: Police will install closed-circuit television surveillance system at major traffic intersections in the city.
Police commissioner R.P. Sharma today said the hi-tech advanced surveillance system would be in place in August.
In Bhubaneswar, the police have set up the network at 28 locations with 114 cameras. On February 5, chief minister Naveen Patnaik inaugurated the system.
The advanced surveillance system will keep tabs on the activities of mischief mongers, criminals and can also assist the cops in penalising traffic violators at important places and junctions.
"We are planning to make operational the CCTV-based surveillance system by the end of August in Cuttack, and a master plan is being prepared for its effective implementation," Sharma told The Telegraph.
The project assumes significance for the city because of frequent traffic snarls and criminal activities.
Sharma said that since the focus was to ensure successful implementation of the CCTV-based surveillance system in Bhubaneswar, the proposal for implementing it in Cuttack got delayed.
However, the police have identified eight strategic places where 32 high-resolution cameras will be installed in Cuttack.
The eight locations - Badambadi, Ranihat, Madhupatna, OMP Square, Sikharpur, Khannagar, Chandi Mandir Square and Buxi Bazar - were identified for the project after a detail survey conducted in July last year.
The state transport authority has released Rs 50 lakh from the Road Safety Fund for the much-awaited mega project that aims to strengthen security measures on city roads.
According to the proposals, the CCTV cameras will have high-end sensors, red light violation detection system and the automatic number plate recognition system.
Apart from this, the sophisticated pan-tilt-zoom cameras, having a coverage range up to 500 metres, will also be installed at a few places for covering large distances in a single frame.
A senior official said that initially, the visuals from the 32 cameras, to be installed at eight identified locations, would be monitored by either by the officials at the respective police stations or at the traffic police station at Madhupatna.
Subsequently, all the captured visuals will be linked to the modern control room that will come up at the new unit of the deputy commissioner office at Cantonment Road.
"The CCTV project will also come handy in taking timely action to resolve traffic congestions at major junctions. Apart from this, rising incidents of crime can be checked, and the cops can track down the criminals escaping after committing crimes and get vital clues as well," said Kesharpur resident Sushant Muduli.
