600 cameras for traffic management to be installed in Jammu, trial begins

Jammu, March 23 (PTI) Total 600 cameras will be installed as a part of the intelligent traffic management and surveillance system to monitor vehicular traffic and its violations here in Jammu and Kashmir.

ITMSS was made operational in the winter capital during its first phase to conduct efficiency trials.

Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on March 13 inaugurated Integrated Command & Control Centre (ICCC) as a nerve centre of civic operations and traffic management.

“Six hundred cameras are being installed, mostly PTZ cameras and traffic management cameras for monitoring and managing vehicular traffic and recording traffic violations”, Jammu Smart city CEO Rahul Yadav told PTI.

He said so far cameras have been installed at 37 junctions.

“The trials have begun. We are receiving feed of traffic flow from 33 junctions. They are operational. On 12 junctions, analytics are fully functioning, under which we can detect any traffic violations”, Yadav said.

Initiated in November 2022, the project will have a chain of 600 cameras mostly pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) cameras watching traffic movement in the city.

The smart system will detect automatic vehicle number plate identification, red light violations, stolen vehicle identification and use of mobile phones while driving among other things, the officials said.

ITMSS, which has been made operational in Jammu partially, is a step that would help authorities better manage the vehicular flow and catch violators, they said.

According to officials, this intelligent traffic management system project is being implemented by a “master systems integrator” firm along with artificial intelligence software providers like Vehant Technologies that provide solutions to make roads safer.

The ITMSS automatically encrypts and transfers data of violation centralised server at the traffic police headquarters, they said.

The CEO said, “The phase is under trial and tests are being carried out for any improvements that are needed.”

Based on the information data received from these cameras, an adaptive traffic-control system alters traffic signal cycles in real-time to respond to changing traffic conditions. Once fully operational, the adaptive traffic control system (ATCS) is expected to cut down waiting time at traffic signals by almost half, they said.

They added that the new system, which would automatically detect violators like those jumping a red light and also generate an e-challan, is being implemented under the smart city project.

“Red Light Violation Detection System will allow traffic cops to keep a track on violators and generate e-challan, which would then be handed over to the violator”, he said.

The system would consist of camera-mounted sensors for better detection of traffic violations, which would relay the data to the central control room managed by the traffic department, officials said.

The system is connected to the control room and is monitored round-the-clock, they said.

“It also helps the police to detect and register cases against persons for not wearing helmets, over speeding, triple-riding, stop line violations, speaking over the phone while driving and other violations,” he said.

These cameras also function effectively during night hours as recording takes place only if there is vehicle movement on the roads, he added.

The Lt Governor said ICCC, as a nerve centre of civic operations, will bring together all different departments to manage the city’s utilities and civic services.

ICCC will ensure quick response in the time of emergency, he added.

An intelligent traffic management system equipped with the latest traffic technology will make city traffic safer and more efficient. The technological solutions will improve integrated and networked mobility, increase road safety and congestion-free traffic flows on busy routes, Sinha said.