Opposition fabricating stories on AI camera deal: Kerala CM
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who has remained silent on allegations relating to the AI camera project, on Saturday said the corruption accusations levelled by Opposition parties were aimed at spoiling the second-anniversary celebrations of his government. Without explicitly referring to the controversy, Pinarayi said the Opposition won’t have its way.
“The second anniversary is on and people will learn about the government’s achievements. The Opposition aims to create confusion among people,” he said.
Pinarayi said the Opposition is fabricating stories and levelling baseless allegations. “But it didn’t work because the present government does not follow the style of the UDF,” the chief minister said.
CM: Govt functioning transparently
“The government is functioning in a transparent manner,” he said while delivering a virtual address at the state conference of the Kerala Gazetted Officers’ Association (KGOA).
The CM’s comments come in the wake of claims of graft over the new traffic surveillance system using artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled cameras. Senior leaders of the UDF and the BJP have termed the CM’s silence in the issue as an admission of guilt.
Pinarayi said the Opposition’s ill-intentioned allegations will not meet with success. “You cannot mislead the people. You have become a laughing stock and will continue to be so,” he said. “Kerala is one of the states with the least corruption. However the target should be to totally eliminate corruption,” he stressed.
The motor vehicles department (MVD) recently installed 726 AI-enabled cameras on major roadways as part of the `232 crore traffic surveillance project. The UDF and the BJP claim that a cartel comprising state-run Keltron and some private companies escalated the project cost.
On Saturday, Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan claimed that the original estimate was for Rs 57 crore. The Opposition alleges that Presadio Technologies, which won a sub-contract linked to the project, is owned by Prakash Babu, father-in-law of the CM’s son.