After installing high power cameras in various National Highways in the state, the Motor Vehicle Department would now procure another 500 mini cameras to maintain surveillance on the State Highways. Police officials said that the tender for the mini cameras has been floated and it would be installed within a month’s period.

According to senior officials in the Motor Vehicle Department, the majority of surveillance cameras are fitted on the state’s National Highways. “The number of cameras in the State Highways were comparatively low and over speeding incidents were high here. There are several highways in the state, which are more wider than the National Highways. In these roads, there is a high intensity of traffic and many accidents reported. So we decided to install mini cameras which can detect the speed of the vehicle and facilitate carrying out enforcement activities as well,” a senior official said. Motor Vehicle Officials said that the newly inaugurated control room to monitor vehicles along the highway from Cherthala to Manjeshwaram has been a huge success. “More than 300 drivers are being booked daily using these cameras. With the installation of the new system, we can successfully control the speed of inter-state luxury buses plying in the night,” an official said.

Some of the night buses are found over-speeding at more than 90 kilometres. The installation of the cameras has made the drivers more wary. As a result, they don’t accelerate and drive cautiously on the NH. If the driver is caught for the first time, he is let off with a fine. If this becomes a regular occurrence, then stringent action including cancelling of the license would be taken.

A state-of-the-art control room to monitor vehicles along the highway from Cherthala to Manjeshwaram was inaugurated at Kakkanad a few weeks back. The control room monitors feed from 147 observation cameras set up along the highway.

At present 57 cameras have been set up for the purpose. Apart from the over-speeding and signal violation, the use of mobile phones and not wearing helmet are also liable for punishment. The cameras also help in booking riders and drivers carrying more people than the required capacity, violation of lane traffic, manipulated and unauthorised registration plates and dangerously loaded vehicles.

Source- http://www.newindianexpress.com/