Mumbai: BMC to pull down most CCTV cameras at traffic signals

Months after they finished installing 698 cameras at busy intersections to help cops manage traffic better, BMC will now pull down 577 of these cameras and reinstall them over the next 24 months at a cost of R4 crore. The reason: lack of communication between BMC and BEST authorities where the latter forgot to tell the BMC they would be pulling down most of the electric poles to which the cameras had been attached!

Be prepared for even more chaotic traffic, especially at busy intersections across the city, over the next 24 months. Barely six months after they finished a mammoth project of installing 698 Vehicle Detection Cameras next to hundreds of traffic signals to help cops manage traffic better, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is now busy pulling down 577 of these cameras from the BEST-owned electricity poles they were attached to! The cameras will be reinstalled on new electricity poles, and as BEST sets them up over the next 24 months, costing the exchequer Rs 4 crore.

The CCTV cameras will be reinstalled on new electricity poles. The BEST will set them up over the next 24 months and it will cost the exchequer Rs 4 crore. According to the BEST spokesperson, the poles have rusted and must be taken down. u00a0File Photo

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According to a BMC spokesperson, the Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) has decided to replace many of its electricity poles and it was on these poles that BMC had installed their cameras.

The city's traffic police department uses these cameras to increase or decrease the signal time at busy crossings depending on traffic at the junction at any given time. Ever since this system was set in place in October, traffic management had become easier for the cops and the flow of traffic, markedly smoother for commuters.

Despite SMDs best efforts, additional municipal commissioner Aseem Gupta could not be reached for comment. But an official of the road department said, "The BMC has proposed to allot the work of replacing cameras to a private firm at the cost of Rs 4 crore. The duration of the contract is 24 months and will include the monsoon months."

When asked whether the safety and security of citizens were being put at risk by removing these cameras (each camera, once pulled down, would take an average of two to three days to reinstall), Mahesh Thakur, an executive engineer with the BMC, said, "These cameras are not for the security of the city and its people. They are used just to monitor and control traffic."

However, when contacted, BEST committee member Sunil Ganacharya said better coordination between the two agencies would have saved a lot of money and unnecessary wastage of time and manpower. "I don't think there was a need to spend Rs 4 crore for the ATC project which has just been completed anyway. This would not have been the case if there was better co-ordination between BEST and BMC," Ganacharya said.

Second best poles
But why is the BEST removing the poles? BEST spokesperson A Tamboli offered an explanation when he said, "These streetlight poles are removed only if they are rusted or needto be replaced. All these poles are not in the best condition and need to be replaced as soon as possible."

When SMD got in touch with Additional Commissioner of Police (traffic), Brijesh Singh, he said, "I will have to check the proposal made by the BMC before commenting."u00a0