SOIRU VELIP | NT
PANAJI: The state home department has sent back to the Goa police the proposal for installing traffic signals at 53 locations in the state seeking specifications on implementation of the project.
‘The Navhind Times’ has learnt that the home department has sent the proposal back to the police, as the proposal had sought to give the work of installing traffic signals to specific private agencies.
In 2015, some private companies had shown interest in a composite project of installing traffic signals along with CCTV cameras at 53 locations throughout the state, for free of cost.
Subsequently, the Goa police had submitted a proposal to the home department for installation of the traffic signals.
A senior official from the home department said that there was no government policy to bring about such a project through a private agency.
Hence the department had sought various specifications on it.
“The proposal on installing traffic signals submitted by the Goa police is not pending with the department. In fact, after examining the proposal we sought specifications on implementation of the project…,” the official said.
The department has asked the police to make a presentation before resubmitting the proposal.
The home department had raised questions over the proposal that spoke about a private company which had been keen on installing traffic signals throughout the state for free of cost. The firm in return wanted to display advertisements in the slots of traffic signals.
The government cannot allow specific companies to the install signals without inviting expression of interest, the official said.
According to the police, the proposal had been submitted to the state government on installing traffic signals at 53 locations, pedestrian crossing singles at 20 locations and warning blinkers at 73 locations. The proposal had also sought installation of 662 CCTV cameras at 205 locations.
It must be noted here that the state government has plans to introduce common framework for surveillance system in the state through the department of information and technology.
The IT department, which wants to take up several initiatives, has said that a major responsibility of the government is to provide safety and security to its citizens and its assets. With increased security and terrorism threats in the country, building a comprehensive surveillance system is critical for enhancing safety and security of citizens and assets.
The department said that it “plans to introduce a common framework for surveillance systems in the state. The project envisages implementation of a state-wide comprehensive surveillance system to facilitate 24×7 scanning and monitoring of vehicular traffic, human movement etc. The project would ensure setting up of unmanned surveillance cameras throughout the state at all the major roads and junctions, public places and places of strategic importance. The data will be stored, monitored and analysed at the centralised control room which will be set up for the project…”
A senior official of the IT department has said the department has not yet sent any such proposal to the government, adding that their job was to provide technical support to implement such projects.
He also said that if the police want to install traffic signals and CCTV cameras then first they need to have full-fledged control room to monitor activities at traffic signals.