Come September, traffic management in Chennai will witness a sea change as the city traffic police is all set to get a complete makeover with shifting to world class ‘integrated traffic management system’ (ITMS).
The ambitious Rs 117 crore scheme, which is a first of its kind in the country, through which 100 arterial traffic junctions in the city will be integrated and brought under CCTV surveillance with state-of-the-art-facilities to ensure smooth traffic flow and streamline the traffic violations as well.
The system comprises traffic junction surveillance system and automatic number plate reading system (ANPRS) through which vehicle numbers of traffic offenders would be identified and challans sent to them with visuals of the offence.
ITMS would also provide a seamless passageway to the ambulances and VVIP vehicles by giving green signals at the three consecutive junctions ahead and help nabbing the criminals by signaling red lights.
The entire infrastructure will be built on wireless connectivity and all the integrated traffic junctions monitored through a giant video wall at the control-command-centre (CCC) that is being set up at the upcoming new police commissionarate, which will also come under security surveillance.
To start with, the scheme will be rolled out in 12 junctions from Cathedral Road to the secretariat, along with the CCC, in September, and the entire project would be finished by December, said, P.N. Mahadevan, managing director, Purple Infotech Limited, the company which will build-operate the system for five years.
“While the police personnel will operate the CCC, we will provide back-end support,” he said. In all, a total of 700 cameras (ANPRS and pan-tilt-zoom) would be installed at 100 junctions, of the total 372 junctions in the city.