THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Transport Minister Antony Raju has denied any malpractice in awarding to Keltron the contract for the ‘Fully Automated Traffic Enforcement System’, which includes the AI-powered cameras that went live on state and national highways in Kerala from April 20.
Clarifying that there was no need for a separate tender when the contract was given to the PSU, Raju said the process was completed in 2018, three years before he became transport minister in 2021. “Keltron would clarify doubts related to transparency on the price of cameras and other technical matters,” he said. Raju said the project aimed at reducing accidents. He also said the number of traffic violations had dropped since the cameras went live.
Dismissing all allegations, Keltron CMD N Narayana Moorthy said the project was implemented in a transparent manner. “A camera system costs only Rs 9.5 lakh, not Rs 35 lakh as is being alleged. We spent Rs 74 crore on purchasing the cameras. The project was allocated Rs 235 crore initially and later modified to Rs 232 crore. We gave a sub-contract of Rs 151 crore to Bengaluru-based SRIT Pvt Ltd.
The rest of the money is for running the control room and handle other expenses of Keltron,” Moorthy said. He also vouched for the efficiency of SRIT, which was roped in to assist Keltron. Sub-contracts given by SRIT won’t add any liability to Keltron, he clarified.