AI cameras to spot mask defaulters at Kumbh Mela but crowds continue to swell

This measure has been put into place to tackle the surge in Covid-19 cases across the country

At a time when Covid-19 cases are surging in India, Kumbh Mela still continues to proceed with hoards of people arriving at Haridwar.

In order to tackle rising cases, Uttarakhand police said that they have put up CCTV cameras with Artificial Intelligence technology that can zoom in on people who have removed their masks, or are not wearing them correctly.

Over 350 CCTV cameras have been installed all around the mela area and a 100 of these cameras have sensors that will identify people without masks and generate an alert, according to a report by The Indian Express. In a first for the Kumbh Mela, these cameras not only generate alerts when areas have higher crowd density, but can also identify objects laying unattended for more than 10 mins and are being used to keep a count of the number of vehicles.

Read | Kumbh Mela: Thousands take dip in Ganga on 'Shahi Snan' amid Covid-19 spike

How it works

Once a camera spots someone without a mask, it will alert the officers police surveillance control room which is located in Mela Bhawan near Har Ki Pauri, the publication reported. They will share the information with the nearest enforcement officer who will not only hand the violator a free mask, but also, issue a punishment as per regulations.

"On April 2, over 1,500 people were issued challans for not wearing a mask, of whom around 350 were caught on camera in just four hours" Kumbh Mela IG Sanjay Gunjyal told the publication.

Watch | Kumbh Mela: ‘Facing difficulty to enforce social distancing at ghats,’ says IG

“When a site identified as vulnerable gets crowded beyond 75 per cent of its capacity, the control room gets an alert, at which point, entry of people to these sites will be immediately stopped,” said Mukesh Thakur, Additional SP in charge of the Police Surveillance Control Room at Kumbh.

Will it help?

However, as the Kumbh began, images of the festival showed a complete lack of adherence to Covid norms. People were seen taking a dip, standing in close proximity and wearing no masks. The ghats swelled with people, especially naga sadhus, causing one to worry if this might prove be a super spreader event in the coming days.

"We are continuously appealing to people to follow COVID appropriate behaviour. But due to the huge crowd, it is practically not possible to issue challans today. It is very difficult to ensure social distancing at ghats," Kumbh Mela IG Sanjay Gunjyal told ANI.

Read | Mahakumbh footfall anticipation raises fears of fresh Covid-19 spike in Haridwar

A daily average of people going for Kumbh is at 3 lakh persons, with the number surging 10 times during the 'shahi snans.'

The Uttarakhand High Court had recently directed the state government to depute people at the entry point of each ghat to screen pilgrims and visitors, and to ensure that they use sanitisers and wear masks. So far 10,000 people have been deployed.