Reported by Santosh Jagdev

Bhubaneswar, Feb 5:

Close Circuit Television (CCTV) surveillance project, the first of its kind in Odisha, was inaugurated at the Commissionerate police headquarter office here by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today.

cctv launch

Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said; "I am glad to inaugurate the much awaited CCTV surveillance system in the city. I understand that such a surveillance system is one of its kinds in the entire state, and has been successful in bringing about the collaboration of the best tools of technology to aid day-to-day policing."

"Our Government is dedicated towards making optimum use of technology in all spheres of governance and policing is an essential part of it." the Chief Minister said..

Patnaik said he was happy that the state of the art modern control room which has come up in the Commissionerate building  will function as a unified command to control CCTV installed and cameras fitted in PCR vans. "I call upon the Commissionerate Police to make the best use of this system to infuse a greater sense of security among the people," he said.

Commissioner Dr RP Sharma thanked the Odisha government for its support in helping this system launched. The project execution work was entrusted to Odisha police in February 2013.

The entire project covering CCTV cameras at 90 locations would have more than 350 cameras installed at different locations in the city and a control room to operate these with video wall facilities.

In the first phase of the project, a total of 114 CCTV cameras has been installed at about 28 strategic locations in the city including major junction like AG crossing, Master Canteen square, Rajmahal crossing, lower PMG, Kalinga hospital square, Airport crossing, Governor house,Naveen Niwas and near Rabindra Mandap, the CP said.

Commissionerate police handed over the project to  Odisha  State Police Housing Cooperation (OSPHC), which in turn commissioned a private party Honeywell to execute the project that would cost Rs 23 crore.

The first phase was completed successfullywith proper coordination from departments like BMC, BSNL, Roads and buildings and others.

Among the saleint features of the project are the fixing of CCTV cameras in all 33 PCR vans for mobile surveillance and unified control room with video wall for monitoring and supervising the system from one location, the Commissioner said.

This apart, the police will follow a Standrad Operating Procedure (SOP) for flawless and smooth management of the CCTV surveillance. The system will help police in improving police response in crisis situation, enhance security in the city, law and order management, traffic control, law Enforcement and video analysis to arrest crime. "We are also studying the best use of the system in some cities like Delhi, Bangalore and Surat in checking criminal activities," he said.

Installation of special cameras at AG square with use of Red Light Violation Detection (RLVD) and Automatic Number Plate detection (ANPD) devices will correctly locate ttraffic violators and help punish them, he added.

The Commissioner further said there is an urgent need for more manpower and PCR vans in Police Commissionerate to check the growth of crime as a result of the rapid griwth of the city. A proposal in this regard sent to the government which is under active considerationt.

Similar kind of project in Cuttack is also on the anvil. There is also a master plan to bring about public private partnership mode in city surveillance by encouraging market committees and residential welfare committees to join Commissionerate police system by attaching their CCTV feeds to the main control room to check crimes in their localities, Dr Sharma pointed out.

“In the second phase, 40 more locations have been identified for installation of CCTV  cameras in the city. 22 more will be added in the third phase,” Manoj Chhabra, chairman of OSPHC, said.

Among others Bhubaneswar MP Prasana Patsani, Tourism minister Ashok Panda, MLA North Priyadarsi Mishra, MLA Middle Bijay Mohanty, city Mayor Ananta Narayan Jena, special home secretary Venugopal, State DGP Sanjeev Marik, Honey Well company executives and other senior police officials were present on the occasion.