Facial recognition facility yet to become functional in Karnal

Tribune News Service

Parveen Arora

Karnal, April 20

Four months after its inauguration, the facial recognition facility is yet to become functional at the Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC), an ambitious project of the Smart City Mission. The command centre was inaugurated by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on December 5, 2021 for monitoring traffic and strengthening the safety and security of the city.

Software-related issue

During the trial of these cameras, a software-related issue came to fore due to which the facility could not be made functional. I have directed the company to resolve the matter, so that the facility can be started smoothly. Anish Yadav, Deputy Commissioner-cum-ceo, Karnal smart city ltd

As per the information, 125 face recognition cameras were to be installed at 29 various points to identify suspicious and wanted people, but so far, cameras have been installed at 10 points.

“During the trial of these cameras, a software-related issue came to fore, due to which the facility could not be made functional,” said Anish Yadav, Deputy Commissioner-cum-CEO, Karnal Smart City Ltd (KSCL).

“I have directed the company to resolve the software-related issue, so that the facility can be started smoothly,” he added.

After being operational, this system will help in tracking the movements of criminals in the city and further it will improve the security services. The facial recognition technology uses facial features to match with the existing information on databases to identify a person, said the CEO.

“On the list of locations given by the Karnal police, we had started the process of installing facial recognition cameras in the city,” he added.

The facial recognition cameras are installed at a height of 3m to focus on face, while the ordinary cameras are fixed at the height of 6m to get a wide range. If the police want to track any suspect, his picture is uploaded in the system and alert sounded at the command centre if the suspect crosses any junction. The database of wanted and suspects in any case will be uploaded in the system, the same will be searched.

Besides, the ICCC is yet to inter-link various departments, which was also a component of this project.

“Smart water supply solution –supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) is being introduced in the city, while the streetlights are also being installed. After the functioning of both the projects, these will be linked with the ICCC,” said Yadav.

However, the ICCC has integrated around 540 CCTV cameras on a single wall, including 129 CCTV cameras, installed under the city surveillance project. Among these 540 cameras, there are 89 surveillance cameras, 211 adaptive traffic control systems (ATCS), automatic number plater recognition (ANPR) system, red light violation detection (RLDV), speed violation detection system, 105 thermal cameras. “Thermal cameras are automatic and sensor based, which helps in controlling of traffic by regulating the timing on the basis of traffic volume,” said the CEO.

As many as 35 public address systems have been installed to convey any information to general public, he said.

Similarly, 35 emergency call boxes have been installed at various places for the general public. Display boards have been installed at 36 locations for any message to the general public. A 10-seater call centre has been made operational, he said.

It will also help in real-time data of the air quality as the environmental sensors have been installed at two places. It will provide detailed and reliable data on key environmental parameters such as humidity, temperature, volatile organic compounds and others, the CEO maintained.

How cameras work

• The facial recognition cameras are installed at a height of 3 m to focus on the face, while the ordinary cameras are fixed at the height of 6 m to get a wide range.
• If the police want to track any suspect, his picture has to be uploaded in the system and alert sounded at the command centre if he crosses any junction.

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