If you’ve jumped a signal recently and felt giddy with joy that you’ve successfully escaped penalty for flouting traffic norms, then you’ve got to beware the ‘third eye’ that sees everything. No, this isn’t an episode of Black Mirror we’re talking about but Chennai’s ‘third eye’ campaign, which was started by the traffic police. This one-of-a-kind initiative will fine violators by keeping track of their moves through CCTV cameras installed across the city.
Due to this campaign, Chennai traffic police detected 401 traffic violators on New Year’s eve, and have been sending challans to their houses. The cops have also booked people for speeding, rash driving, and triple riding, The Times of India reported. At least 10,000 cameras have been installed all over the city to track any kind of violation of traffic rules. The proposed number of cameras to be put up is 15,345.
Image credit: Indian Express Tamil
“Policemen cannot be there everywhere. In such a scenario, these cameras will help us nab violators. This will for sure serve as a deterrent in the coming days,” additional commissioner of police, traffic, A Arun told The Times of India.
A senior official of the Chennai City Traffic Police (CCTP) told The Hindu that cameras have been installed at 115 locations on Rajiv Gandhi Salai, which covers a distance of 15 kms. Citizens hope that this surveillance of the city’s streets would instill fear among habitual offenders, bring down crime rates and make the city a lot safer.
Another report from The Times of India highlights how Chennai’s city police had recently adopted a similar initiative, funded by the Tamil Nadu government, in an attempt to monitor the entire city with cameras at every 50 m on arterial stretches.
