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Flyover CCTV Cameras on the Blink for Months

  • Closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras at a few high-profile traffic locations in the city, including on the flyover before the Chennai airport and the Kathipara junction, have not been functioning for several months.Dignitaries in the government and private sector often pass through some of these crucial entry and exit points to the city.Everyday, police sources said, at least two high-profile personalities come to and from the airport. Besides, there are several unscheduled visits by senior political leaders, including chief ministers and union ministers to the state.
  • The Kerala chief minister came here last week en route Puducherry for the funeral of Kerala governor M O H Farook."The cameras were installed to prevent over-speeding and to track down registration numbers of vehicles violating traffic rules. Now, we are monitoring them manually," said a senior police officer.Additional police commissioner for traffic Sanjay Arora told TOI, "All existing surveillance devices, including CCTV cameras at over 100 locations, will be merged with the proposed state-of-the-art Integrated Security Management system. The new system would be in place once the government order is passed."A few months after the flyovers at Kathipara and the airport were opened in October 2008, two CCTV cameras each were installed - on top and beneath the structures - and monitored by a sub-inspector of police through a computer desktop in a room beneath the structures.
  • Just before the suburban police commissionerate merged with the city police in August 2011, police found the CCTV cameras on the blink.
  • A CCTV camera at the Pazhavanthangal traffic point on GST Road was removed after being hit by a lorry in early 2011. Since then, neither was the camera at Pazhavanthangal replaced nor the cameras at the two flyovers repaired. "We have been reminding higher officials about the issue," said a police officer.

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