Govt to use artificial intelligence for traffic management in Bengaluru

Bengaluru will soon have about 10,000 CCTV cameras in various public places to curb crime. While 7,500 CCTV cameras have been installed at present, the Home Department is installing another 2,500 cameras soon under the Nirbhaya scheme, Home Minister G Parameshwara said on Thursday.

Speaking in the Legislative Council, Parameshwara said the government wanted to install CCTV cameras in all crowded and sensitive spots including malls, schools, colleges and the vicinities of universities.

“The cameras installed now have high resolution. When images are zoomed in, one can even capture the time on the watch of a person in the frame. So these cameras are not only to monitor traffic but also to curb crime,” he explained. Recently, the chief minister inaugurated the Central Command Centre from where all the cameras will be monitored, he added. 

Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar who is also in charge of Bengaluru development, too stressed the need for CCTV cameras across the city.

The ministers were responding to a question in this regard by MLC Bharathi Shetty. 

The MLC expressed concern about the overall administration of Bengaluru city including traffic regulation and garbage management. To this, Shivakumar said the government was considering introducing severe penalties for those who dump garbage in public places, especially construction debris. We are studying solid waste management models in various cities such as Delhi and Hyderabad and I will be visiting Indore too. We are taking suggestions from all stakeholders including leaders of all parties, Shivakumar said.

A long-term plan is also being drawn to regulate traffic in the five entry points of Bengaluru: Mysuru Road, Tumakuru Road, Hosur Road, Ballari Road and Kolar Road, he said. “The government has discussed with nine institutions to resolve Bengaluru’s traffic woes. There was a meeting yesterday too. We will use artificial intelligence to regulate traffic and control crime,” he added.

Further, more than 70,000 suggestions have poured in from the public for “Brand Bengaluru.”

“These suggestions are being categorised issue-wise. “Bengaluru is an unplanned city. Except for a few old areas, the rest of the city has grown sporadically,” Shivakumar lamented. For instance, earlier the government was not giving permission for development in North Bengaluru owing to water scarcity. Over a period these restrictions have been relaxed and today the entire Bengaluru is moving towards North, he explained.