Cuttack: Come July, Cuttack would get AI-powered smart cameras capable of automatically detecting traffic violations and issuing e-challans. The Commissionerate police has taken this initiative to strengthen traffic enforcement.The advanced surveillance system would be installed at around 22 major junctions across the city. Equipped with artificial intelligence and radar-based technology, the cameras will identify violations such as overspeeding, riding without helmet, jumping traffic signals and illegal parking without requiring manual intervention by traffic personnel.“The initiative is aimed at ensuring better compliance with traffic rules, reducing human intervention and bringing greater transparency and efficiency in challan issuance, 22 major junctions have been identified and installation work is in its last leg,” said Jayant Kumar Dora, ACP (traffic), Cuttack.The system will function through automatic number plate recognition and intelligent enforcement technology. Once a violation is detected, the vehicle’s registration details and evidence of the offence would be transmitted in real time to the integrated traffic management system’s control room, following which e-challans would be generated and sent to offenders.“The AI-based enforcement system will help us monitor traffic violations more effectively and ensure impartial action against offenders. The objective is to improve road discipline and enhance safety for commuters through technology-driven enforcement. The operation will start from July,” said Dora.One of Odisha’s busiest commercial hubs with narrow roads and dense traffic movement, witnesses heavy vehicular pressure every day. Traffic assessments indicate that major junctions in the city handle tens of thousands of vehicles daily, with busy stretches such as Madhupatna, Badambadi and Khannagar recording traffic volumes of over 30,000 vehicles a day.Cuttack also experiences significant inflow of commuters and commercial vehicles from Bhubaneswar, Jajpur, Kendrapara and Jagatsinghpur, leading to congestion during peak hours. The AI-based enforcement system is expected to improve traffic discipline and ease pressure on manual policing.Many commuters have welcomed the initiative. “We welcomed the initiative, but concerns remain over possible technicalglitches and the issuance of incorrect challans, traffic officials must act promptly for such issues and an immediate grievance redressal system must be there for betterment of commuters and error-free challans,” said Bikash Mohapatra, a road safety expert.
