City traffic police betting heavy on technology to curb accidents this year

NEW DELHI : 2019 promises to be a year of technology based surveillance for the city’s traffic police.

After a wait of almost five years, the Delhi Traffic Police will finally begin work on the implementation of Intelligent Traffic Management System (ITMS). The department said that they have received an in-principle approval for the scheme from the Union home ministry, and by August this year a detailed project report will be submitted.

Besides the integrated system, the department will also install three-dimensional radar based red light violation detection cameras (RLVD), gantry mounted radar-based speed detection system, speed check cameras, and speed guns.

Joint commissioner of police (traffic) Alok Kumar said till the surveillance system is integrated with ITMS, the department is putting in place independent surveillance units.

“These independent projects will later be integrated with each other once the ITMS is in place,” Kumar said.

By March this year, the traffic department will complete the installation of RLVD and speed detection cameras at 10 junctions on the busy Ring Road between Dhaula Kuan and Sarai Kale Khan.

The project, with an estimated cost of ₹15 crore, promises features such as automatic issuance of notices for violations via text messages.

Kumar said that the focus is on preventing speeding by vehicles, which will help reduce road accidents and fatalities. In 2018, over 1.35lakh people were booked for speeding, while another 2.34 lakh were booked for driving dangerously on the city’s roads.

“We will also install gantry mounted radar based speed detection systems on 100 major locations. The project will be completed by July this year,” he said.

Apart from these, to improve detection of violations at intersections the department will also use 3D RLVD cameras. Around 96 cameras will be put up at 24 junctions from July, which will automatically read the number plate of vehicles, which have crossed the junction when the traffic signal was red.

“This is a huge year for the traffic department. Our focus is to bring technology and policing together to make the city’s roads safer,” Kumar said.