In a bid to reduce accidents and check speeding, five major traffic junctions on Avanashi Road are being equipped with number plate recognition (NPR) cameras and closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras. The initiative is by UYIR, a non-governmental organisation, which aims to make Coimbatore accident free.
S.P. Velumani, Municipal Administration Minister, will inaugurate the activation of the cameras at 6 p.m. on Saturday at Anna Statue.
“Close to 1.7 lakh people in India are killed in road accidents every year, with Tamil Nadu topping the list. This leads to 3 % to 4 % drop in the country’s GDP. In Tamil Nadu, Coimbatore stands second for the most number of accidents with Chennai in the lead”, says S. Rajasekaran, Chairman, Department of Orthopaedics, Trauma and Spine Surgery of Ganga Hospital, and UYIR office-bearer.
“UYIR, with members from institutions, corporates and other organisations, was launched in 2018 and is working towards one goal - to make everyone realise the value of life. Education, enforcement and technology are required to reduce the number of road accidents in the city. We want to make every individual think twice before breaking the basic road rules by introducing technologies that will help police personnel record accidents accurately”, Dr. Rajasekaran says.
According to sources, the NPR cameras can focus on number plates even when the vehicles move at great speed and the CCTV cameras can capture images even in dim light during night. The cameras have been installed at five major junctions on Avanashi Road- JM Bakery Junction, LIC Junction, Anna Statue Junction, GKNM Hospital Junction, and Lakshmi Mills Junction. Solar UPS systems will also be set up at each junction to be used during power shutdown. The NGO has plans to install cameras in 35 junctions across the city in a phased manner.
D. Vijay Mohan, Chairman, Pricol Ltd., and UYIR office-bearer, says “The main reasons for road accidents are speeding, lack of discipline and not giving way to pedestrians. Markings and signals have been installed to help pedestrians cross the road safely. The surveillance cameras installed at the five junctions can count vehicles and automatically change the signal duration to avoid traffic congestion”.
“The cameras will also help check crime activities as the surveillance cameras will transmit live feed to the control room. The organisation has also given 70 body cameras to the police personnel to record and have a verifiable proof of any incident”, says M. Krishnan, managing director, Sri Krishna Sweets, and UYIR office-bearer.