CMDA allots ₹54 cr. to Chennai police to install cameras, build rehabilitation centre
Under this plan, Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras will be installed at 45 locations at the cost of ₹9.16 crore. As many as 60 patrol two-wheelers will be procured additionally at a cost of ₹90 lakh. ₹60 lakh will be allotted for skill development of the members of 10 boys and girls clubs.
Additionally, a rehabilitation centre for drug addicts will be set up at the cost of ₹2.95 crore.
Police barracks will be constructed at the cost of ₹9.75 crore and police stations will be built at the cost of ₹31 crore.
A total of ₹54.36 crore for seven projects will be funded by the CMDA including two infrastructure projects — V.6 Kolathur Police Station and K-5 Peravallur Police Station, said Greater Chennai City Police Commissioner A. Arun.
The Government has been implementing the VCVT, comprising major infrastructure projects of 10 stakeholder departments including Housing and Urban Development, following an announcement by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Hindustan Times
E-challans worth ₹470 cr issued for violations on Mumbai-Pune Expressway in one year
The Intelligent Traffic Management System (ITMS) on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway has generated 27.76 lakh e-challans worth ₹470 crore for traffic violations since e-surveillance was put in place in July last year, with abysmal recovery of just ₹51 crore in fines. Medium goods vehicles received 85,468 e-challans, articulated heavy goods vehicles 30,450, and medium passenger buses 14,764 e-challans, the data stated.(HT Photo) According to data shared by the transport department, cars accounted for the lion's share of speed limit violations on the 95-km expressway, with more than 17.20 lakh e-challans. Heavy goods carriers were a distant second with 3.27 lakh e-challans, followed by heavy passenger vehicles, such as buses, at 2.48 lakh, taxis faced 2 lakh challans, and 1.2 lakh light goods carriers were booked during the period. Medium goods vehicles received 85,468 e-challans, articulated heavy goods vehicles 30,450, and medium passenger buses 14,764 e-challans, the data stated. A senior official of the Maharashtra Motor Vehicles Department (MMVD) told PTI that their department has issued 27.76 lakh e-challans inviting fines to the tune of ₹470 crore from July 19, 2024, to July 17 this year. He pointed out that 3 lakh e-challans worth ₹51.32 crore have been recovered till July 17, without elaborating further. As per an RTI reply to transporter KV Shetty, the department has paid the ITMS operator ₹57.94 crore for the 8.84 lakh e-challans issued between July 19 and December 31 last year. Documents show that the operator, Proctech Solutions ITMS LLP, gets ₹654.90, comprising its share of ₹555 and 18 per cent GST, for every e-challan issued. The ITMS, which uses high-resolution cameras and AI-based detection tools, was implemented to improve compliance and reduce accidents on the busy Mumbai-Pune Expressway. The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) has installed 40 gantries and hundreds of CCTV cameras as part of ITMS, which also includes speed detection cameras, ANPR, weigh-in-motion sensors, AVCC, weather sensors, a dynamic messaging system, a command and control centre (CCC), and supporting infrastructure at multiple locations across the expressway. The state transport department has given ₹45 crore viability gap funding from the Road Safety Fund for the project, costing more than ₹100 crore. As per the mechanism, a traffic violation report is generated through the ITMS system and verified at the Command Control Centre (CCC) by the operator's staff, and challans have to be approved by RTO officials. While there is a provision to issue e-challans for 17 traffic violations, the ones handed down so far pertain to speeding, driving without a seatbelt, lane cutting, entering from the wrong side and using mobile phones while driving, officials said. Sources said that a large number of e-challans for overspeeding were issued in the Khandala ghat section of the expressway. Hence, the transporters are demanding an increase in the speed limit in the ghat section. The 10-km ghat section has a speed limit of 60 kmph for cars and 40 kmph for heavy vehicles. On other stretches of the expressway, the speed limit is 100 kmph for smaller vehicles and 80 kmph for heavy vehicles. Transporters claim the current limit on the ghat section, located between Lonavala in Pune district and Khalapur in Raigad district, results in frequent e-challans, as it is challenging for heavy vehicles to move slowly on a sharp downward incline, and slows down traffic and causes accidents. Deliberations were underway to raise the speed limit for heavy vehicles such as trucks and buses from the current 40 kmph to 45-50 kmph on the downward incline of the Pune-Mumbai arm of the Khandala Ghat. Transport operators are unhappy at the flood of e-challans and urged authorities to take note of the resentment in the vital sector. Last month, transporters went on strike against the rampant e-challans issued to heavy vehicles, but called it off after the state government set up a panel.
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
3 days ago
- Business Standard
E-challans worth ₹470 crore issued on Mumbai-Pune Expressway in a year
The Intelligent Traffic Management System (ITMS) on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway has generated 2.7 million e-challans worth ₹470 crore for traffic violations since e-surveillance was put in place in July last year, with abysmal recovery of just ₹51 crore in fines. According to data shared by the transport department, cars accounted for the lion's share of speed limit violations on the 95-km expressway, with more than 1.7 milion e-challans. Heavy goods carriers were a distant second with 327 thousand e-challans, followed by heavy passenger vehicles, such as buses, at 248 thousand, taxis faced 200 thousand challans, and 120 thousand light goods carriers were booked during the period. Medium goods vehicles received 85,468 e-challans, articulated heavy goods vehicles 30,450, and medium passenger buses 14,764 e-challans, the data stated. A senior official of the Maharashtra Motor Vehicles Department (MMVD) told PTI that their department has issued 2.7 million e-challans inviting fines to the tune of ₹470 crore from July 19, 2024, to July 17 this year. He pointed out that 300 thousand e-challans worth ₹51.32 crore have been recovered till July 17, without elaborating further. As per an RTI reply to transporter KV Shetty, the department has paid the ITMS operator ₹57.94 crore for the 884 thousand e-challans issued between July 19 and December 31 last year. Documents show that the operator, Proctech Solutions ITMS LLP, gets ₹654.90, comprising its share of ₹555 and 18 per cent GST, for every e-challan issued. The ITMS, which uses high-resolution cameras and AI-based detection tools, was implemented to improve compliance and reduce accidents on the busy Mumbai-Pune Expressway. The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) has installed 40 gantries and hundreds of CCTV cameras as part of ITMS, which also includes speed detection cameras, ANPR, weigh-in-motion sensors, AVCC, weather sensors, a dynamic messaging system, a command and control centre (CCC), and supporting infrastructure at multiple locations across the expressway. The state transport department has given ₹45 crore viability gap funding from the Road Safety Fund for the project, costing more than ₹100 crore. As per the mechanism, a traffic violation report is generated through the ITMS system and verified at the Command Control Centre (CCC) by the operator's staff, and challans have to be approved by RTO officials. While there is a provision to issue e-challans for 17 traffic violations, the ones handed down so far pertain to speeding, driving without a seatbelt, lane cutting, entering from the wrong side and using mobile phones while driving, officials said. Sources said that a large number of e-challans for overspeeding were issued in the Khandala ghat section of the expressway. Hence, the transporters are demanding an increase in the speed limit in the ghat section. The 10-km ghat section has a speed limit of 60 kmph for cars and 40 kmph for heavy vehicles. On other stretches of the expressway, the speed limit is 100 kmph for smaller vehicles and 80 kmph for heavy vehicles. Transporters claim the current limit on the ghat section, located between Lonavala in Pune district and Khalapur in Raigad district, results in frequent e-challans, as it is challenging for heavy vehicles to move slowly on a sharp downward incline, and slows down traffic and causes accidents. Deliberations were underway to raise the speed limit for heavy vehicles such as trucks and buses from the current 40 kmph to 45-50 kmph on the downward incline of the Pune-Mumbai arm of the Khandala Ghat. Transport operators are unhappy at the flood of e-challans and urged authorities to take note of the resentment in the vital sector. Last month, transporters went on strike against the rampant e-challans issued to heavy vehicles, but called it off after the state government set up a panel.
New Indian Express
4 days ago
- New Indian Express
How the Greater Chennai Police is waging a smart and relentless war to eradicate drugs
CHENNAI: On the bustling streets of Chennai, a quiet but determined transformation is unfolding—one aimed at uprooting the scourge of drugs. With resolute focus and a series of innovative enforcement strategies, the Greater Chennai Police has been steadily turning the tide against illicit narcotics in the city. Over the past year, the city has witnessed an unprecedented crackdown on the drug trade, as police ramped up both intelligence-led enforcement and preventive outreach across neighbourhoods and educational institutions. This intensified push aligns closely with the broader vision laid out by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin. It may be recalled that speaking at the Southern States DsGP Coordination Conference in October 2024, the Chief Minister had emphasized the critical significance for a unified approach to tackling narcotics and related threats. He said 'Whether it concerns drugs, conventional crimes, or emerging cyber offences, it is imperative that we address these challenges through a collective and coordinated effort.' He added, 'Only through strong inter-agency and inter-state collaboration can we truly safeguard our people and secure a prosperous future.' A Year of Relentless Enforcement In just one year, the Chennai police have registered 1,516 cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. Nearly 2.9 metric tons of ganja and over 67,700 illicit tablets have been seized. More than 4,000 individuals have been arrested — among them 324 inter-state traffickers and 26 foreign nationals, underscoring the seamless inter-state and transnational coordination by Chennai police to dismantle these drug networks. These arrests were not accidental or sporadic. They were the product of closely coordinated operations, painstaking investigation, and effective development of field-level intelligence. Formation of Chennai's Anti-Narcotic Intelligence Unit In July 2024, the Commissioner of Police, Greater Chennai, initiated the formation of the Anti-Narcotic Intelligence Unit (ANIU) — a specialized task force led by an Assistant Commissioner and supported by trained operatives especially focused on dismantling synthetic drug networks and technology enabled drug trafficking. In a matter of months, the ANIU enabled dismantling of 90 drug networks, seizing over 72 kilograms of synthetic drugs, including methamphetamine, ketamine, heroin, cocaine, and MDMA. Due to meticulous investigative follow-up, on December 31, 2024, the Chennai police seized 17 kilograms of methamphetamine in a godown in Redhills. The same day, another raid at an apartment in Arumbakkam uncovered 39 kilograms of ketamine, alongside firearms and ammunition. Just six months later, on July 26th, 2025, Chennai police foiled a sophisticated international smuggling attempt. Hidden within packets of sugar, salt, and turmeric meant for export to Australia, officers discovered five kilograms of pseudoephedrine, a key ingredient in the manufacture of methamphetamine. The consignment was intercepted before it left Chennai Port, highlighting the force's ability to disrupt global trafficking pipelines. The arrest of 583 drug traffickers with ANIU coordination has had a highly deterring effect on drug networks. Such rapid, precise, and effective action has nearly dissipated the entire drug network in Chennai. The police's new mantra is clear: eradication of drugs, not containment.
