Dhaka streets to come under electronic traffic surveillance

The CCTV cameras will be placed on this route from Abdullahpur to Jatrabari. Photo: Collected

Traffic police are going for centralised and remote monitoring of traffic rule violations in the capital from June, with around 100 specialised close-circuit cameras being installed on 28km stretch of roads between Abdullahpur of Uttara and Kajla of Jatrabari.

After the system is in place, if any vehicle breaks traffic rules at any point under surveillance, traffic police personnel would not chase or stop it, but a case would be filed based on the CCTV footage evidence.

Fine slips would reach the violators’ doorsteps by mail for flouting rules like crossing stop line, blocking left lane, illegal parking on the road, collecting and dropping passengers haphazardly or driving motorcycles without helmet, said officials of DMP’s traffic department.

The high-powered sophisticated closed-circuit television (CCTV) video cameras are now being installed under a project titled Modernization of CCTV Surveillance System of Dhaka Metropolitan Police.

He said if the project is successful, CCTV cameras will also be installed in other city roads like Mirpur Road and Pragati Sarani.

The 28-kilometre stretch covers Mohakhali, Bijoy Sarani, Hotel Intercontinental intersection. From there, it will take two roads -- Hare Road and Shahbagh -- and again join at Matshya Bhaban, said Sharmin Afroz, systems analyst of the DMP.

She further said then it will go via High Court Mazar road intersection, Zero Point, Sergeant Ahad Police Box and then go to Kajla through Hanif Flyover.

“Once any vehicle enters the road from any point, it will come under constant video surveillance until it leaves the road,” said Mosleh Uddin.

After the cameras are installed, they will be connected to DMP’s Central Command and Control Centre in the capital’s Abdul Gani Road.

As per prior command, registration numbers of vehicles violating rules will be saved. Traffic policemen will check those and slap fines considering the degree of rule violations, said the joint commissioner.

Three traffic policemen from the existing manpower of DMP’s traffic department will do the job, while six to seven technical support staff will be recruited. 

By May 31, installation of camera poles at all 37 points is expected to be completed, with poles already set up at 12 places, Joint Commissioner (Traffic-North) of DMP Mosleh Uddin Ahmed told The Daily Star recently. By this time, development of necessary software will also be completed, he added.

No one will be spared for violating rules even at night, as CCTV surveillance will be on the road round the clock. At the moment, no traffic police personnel are on duty from midnight till morning, and instances of traffic rule violations are common.

Fiber@Home Ltd, a private telecommunication transmission network operator, is supplying the cameras and installing it under its Corporate Social Responsibility. The project would cost the company roughly Tk 1.5 crore, said officials in the company and police.

“The project is mainly aimed at implementing traffic rules and bringing rule-violators to book,” said Mosleh Uddin.

“If necessary, the cameras will also be used for crime control,” said the official, who is supervising the project. “We are hopeful of starting operation of the CCTV cameras from June 1,” he added.

Last year, 14,37,065 cases were filed for traffic rule violations in Dhaka, with Tk 86.09 crore collected in fines.

Although CCTV cameras for traffic rule surveillance is new, such cameras for monitoring crime is not. There are around 4,400 CCTV cameras in the city, mainly installed with funds from businesses and communities.