Kolkata: Kolkata Traffic Police will launch a pilot project on Maa Flyover for digital checking of vehicle documents, including pollution and fitness certificates, using Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras. Kolkata Police and the National Informatics Centre (NIC) have entered into an agreement for developing this system.
TOI had reported earlier this year that Kolkata Police had planned to increase the number of CCTV cameras in the city to around 10,000. The system will connect number-plate cameras with vehicle records, so that the traffic police can find document violations without having to stop vehicles for routine checks, said another senior traffic police officer.
The vehicle can then be checked and action can be taken”, a senior police officer said. Police said the camera will first scan the vehicle’s registration number. “If the pollution under control certificate or the fitness certificate has expired, the vehicle can be flagged for further action,” a traffic cop said.
“If the records show that a vehicle’s Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificate or fitness certificate has expired, the system will alert the traffic police. It will then check the vehicle’s records in the govt database. The system will also allow cops to send e-challans to the registered owners of the vehicles, which have been found without valid documents. If the system works well, police plan to introduce it on other important roads and flyovers in Kolkata. Under the existing traffic rules, drivers must carry documents such as the registration certificate, PUC certificate and insurance papers. Transport vehicles must also have valid fitness certificates and permits.