CC Cameras to Keep Vigil on Pickpockets

VIJAYAWADA: In an effort to ensure safe and secure environs for the passengers and to keep an eye on pickpockets, the electronic surveillance by APSRTC management has doubled in the Pandit Nehru Bus Station (PNBS), which is usually visited by passengers from far and near round the clock.

Earlier, as many as 46 closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras with access control facility have been installed at the bus station, including its entry and exit points. But, with the gradual increase in the rush of passengers and the instructions given by the commissioner of police, during his inspection to the bus stand for public security, the APSRTC management has increased the number of CCTV cameras to 92 and installed them at 65 platforms. “The installation of CCTV cameras will help find out the pickpockets in the platforms and will assist the police to keep vigil over illegal activities at the bus station. All cameras would be installed at key positions in the station and would be connected to a central server room, where the display screens have been increased from six to eight and this will be monitored by the police department,” said APSRTC regional manager G Sudesh Kumar.

Everyday, more than 1.3 lakh passengers utilise 2,500 buses pass through the station and it has over 1,500 bus departures a day. The APSRTC has given the contract of CCTV cameras to a private agency by paying Rs 50,000 per month.

“All these are high-end cameras and come with the option of pan, tilt and zoom-in facility. The images captured in these cameras will be flashed on the television sets in a grid format with a time frequency of three seconds,” he said.

Besides this, the APSRTC has already installed the surveillance cameras in about 210 buses as a part of Vehicle Tracking Passenger Information System (VTPIS), on trial basis to monitor indisciplined activities, punctuality of the drivers and to ensure safety of the passengers.

“We have already installed the cameras in the buses of Governorpet-2, Vidyadharapuram and Ibrahimpatnam depots for safe journey of passengers and this will help keep a vigil on the pickpockets in the heavy rush buses,” said G Nagendra Prasad, deputy chief traffic manager, APSRTC Vijayawada.