Smile, You Are On Camera! CCTV’s to Catch Motorists Breaking Laws

Smile, You Are On Camera! CCTV’s to Catch Motorists Breaking Laws

Mangaluru: Beware all you motorists ignoring traffic laws- next time you are driving around talking on the phone, or not wearing seat belts or jumping a signal light or riding without a helmet- and you are doing it just because cops are not around- sorry, you are out of luck- there is somebody else watching you very closely and clearly- the CCTV Camera? Come Monday, if everything goes on well, Mangaluru City will be under hawk’s eye? Technicians of M-Track Electronic Surveillance are gearing up with installing of these CCTV’s so that by Monday they will be ready and capturing images of motorists disobeying traffic rules. With numerous complaints pouring in from callers through the weekly phone-in programme implemented by the traffic police department, the police have decided to upgrade the M-Track management programme by installing nearly 75 CCTV’s at 45 different areas where traffic problems are high. These CCTV cameras are fixed in all major junctions in the city for effective traffic maintenance and crime control.

With the daily increase in traffic violations by motorists like rash driving, two-wheeler riders without helmets, jumping signal lights, entering one way street, using mobile phones while driving/riding which is a safety hazard, using high beam/dazzling headlights, not wearing seat belts etc etc- the traffic police have decided to catch the violators from the footage of CCTV’s placed at traffic-intensive areas like Hampankatta Circle, Clock Tower Circle, Hamilton Circle (State Bank Circle), Mallikatte Circle, Nanthoor Circle, Bendur-well Circle, Jyothi Circle, Bunts Hostel Junction, Near Vas Bakery-Bendur, among other locations. These surveillance cameras installed at strategic places within the city have the potential of capturing footage of your careless action. Based on the CCTV footage, the police department will undertake punitive action against violators.

One of the technicians fixing a CCTV near the Clock Tower circle speaking to Team Mangalorean said, “We are positioning the cameras in such a way that they can capture even faulty number plates and colour. Also, these are high-resolution cameras which can capture colour; can be zoomed to crystal clear view of even the number plate of the vehicles breaking the rules, which can be done from the police control room. These high-tech cameras have been proved very useful to the cops in many cities where we have installed them because they can capture the clear images of the vehicles violating the traffic rules”.

Speaking to Team Mangalorean, Assistant Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Tilakchandra said, “If the technicians are ready with their work, the first violations will be recorded coming Monday if the system is fully operational. We will look first into vehicles infringing stop lines or block the pedestrian zebra crossing on the signal intersection by recording and fine them accordingly. With the numerous calls that we get from the citizens about traffic violations committed by motorists, we are moving towards a scenario where traffic violations will be treated with zero tolerance level. With these M-Track cameras, we will also crack down on drivers who smoke while driving, which is considered as a hazardous violation”.

“In the past regarding cases of traffic rule violations, CCTV footage have proved to be a very important piece of evidence. Therefore, based on it, action was initiated against rule breakers. Many commuters have complained to us about rash driving of city bus drivers, and that police are taking it easy on them. But the problem was that many times since there was no proof resulted in no action taken against these city bus crew. But with these cameras, not only their violation will be recorded but a printout of the proof of violation will be mailed to the vehicle owners, which will help the police to stand in good stead in the court of law”, added ACP Tilakchandra.

In conclusion, with the shortage of traffic police personnel in the department, the assistance of cameras will be a boon for the police. The cameras will also help the police to find traffic blocks and traffic violations as well. But on a final note, I only hope that these CCTV cameras will function well for all the money that has been spent- unlike our newly installed signal lights which are still “OUT OF ORDER” within a few days after they were put to use?