CHANDIGARH: The Big Brother is watching - Chandigarh has set a benchmark with 2,085 Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven CCTV cameras installed across the city, automatically detecting and recording traffic violations. This advanced feature distinguishes Chandigarh’s traffic management system from other cities in the country.
Last year, 9.85 lakh traffic challans were issued, and the Chandigarh Traffic Police collected a whopping Rs 23.03 crore in fines—more than double the previous year. Of these, 8.41 lakh challans were issued using the Integrated Traffic Management System (ITMS) cameras, while only 1.44 lakh were issued by traffic police personnel.
As per data collected from the Chandigarh Traffic Police, a total of 9,85,451 challans were issued between 1 January 2024 and 31 December 2024. Out of these, 8,41,098 challans were generated through ITMS cameras, and 1,44,286 were issued manually by traffic police personnel.
Red-light jumping accounted for the maximum number of violations, with 4,97,297 challans—around 50 per cent of the total. This was followed by 1,46,942 challans for over-speeding and 1,10,711 for zebra crossing violations. Additionally, 84,802 challans were issued for riding without helmets—52,544 to women and 32,258 to men. Wrong parking violations resulted in 26,080 challans.
In comparison, the previous year saw 9.20 lakh challans issued, with fines amounting to Rs 10.45 crore. Of these, 7.9 lakh challans were generated via CCTV cameras, including 4.50 lakh for red-light jumping, 1.8 lakh for over-speeding, 1.2 lakh for a zebra crossing, and 23,238 for riding without helmets.
At the Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) in Sector 17, 2,085 CCTV cameras have been installed at 47 traffic junctions to monitor violations. A dedicated 250-kilometre fibre network connects the cameras, covering 267 locations. Currently, 10 cameras are used to monitor over-speeding, while 40 junctions have cameras detecting red-light jumping.
Sources revealed that Chandigarh’s system stands out because the AI-driven CCTV cameras automatically detect and record traffic violations. The system is programmed to identify specific offences defined in its database. Once a violation is detected, the camera automatically captures it—even if an operator at ICCC is not actively monitoring the footage at that moment. Operators later review the footage, and challans are issued.
“In other cities, operators manually observe footage in real-time and issue challans, but our AI-driven system automates detection and recording, making it far more efficient,” said an official.
Speaking to this newspaper, Senior Superintendent of Police (Traffic) Sumer Pratap Singh stated, “Nobody can escape the technology, as maximum challans are issued through the cameras installed across the city under ITMS. Due to the use of technology, it allows us to monitor violations more efficiently and ensure that traffic offenders are held accountable. The CCTV cameras installed across the city are Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven, thus they automatically detect and record traffic violations. This feature makes them different from other cities.”
Deputy Superintendent of Police (Police Command and Control Centre) Ram Gopal added, “Our teams monitor round the clock and issue challans, as each shift has around 30 operators who track and detect traffic violations.”