Soon,CCTVs to watch highway traffic in Bharuch

Senior police officers from Bharuch district said the proposal is a part of their comprehensive highway traffic management system (CHTM) to discipline errant truck and bus drivers speeding on the highway.

Bharuch SP Gautam Parmar said the pilot project would be the first of its kind in the country. “The national highway in Bharuch district has witnessed a large number of accidents in the last one year. The main component of the plan is monitoring the safety of commuters. We will set up ultra-modern control rooms,with CCTV cameras installed every 10 km,and recruit additional personnel to monitor the traffic movement on the highway. We have asked the state government to support this project,for which we will get the necessary financial support very soon,” said Parmar,adding that NH-8 stretch in Bharuch had seen 318 fatal accidents in the last one year.

As per the plan,eight police outposts would be set up to monitor vehicles. According to police,most of the heavy-duty trucks constantly flout rules by changing lanes in a bid to overtake. Last year,35 vehicles were detained for breaking rules.

Parmar said that as part of the CHTM,public address system has already been installed at various toll booths asking heavy-duty truck drivers to keep their vehicles in the first lane. “We are expecting to hear from the state government this month after which tenders would be issued for construction of booths and procurement of CCTV cameras,” he said.