Railway stations at Bengaluru, Manmad, Bhusawal to get facial recognition technology
New Delhi, Jan 9: Facial recognition technology backed by artificial intelligence has been installed at Bengaluru, Manmad and Bhusawal stations as test cases to identify and nab criminals, railway officials said on Wednesday.
The objective of the Railway Protection Force (RPF) is to link the facial recognition system with existing databases such as the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and systems to identify criminals who may be roaming the railway stations. The real-time face recognition software will alert the RPF command centre of any known offenders.
Officials said that after the facial recognition system is tested, the technology will be implemented across the railway network.
The Railway Board has also given its nod for carrying out works for video surveillance system (VSS) covering 983 stations under Nirbhaya funds, according to a statement issued by the national transporter.
RailTel, a miniratna PSU under Ministry of Railways, has been entrusted with the work of providing Internet Protocol (IP)-based VSS with video analytics and facial recognition system. Rs 250 crore was allotted to the Indian Railways this year from the Nirbhaya fund for installation of VSS.
To have a better coverage and clearer image, four types of full-HD cameras -- dome type for indoor areas, bullet type for platforms, pan tilt zoom type for parking areas and ultra HD-4k cameras for crucial locations are being provided.
Live feed from CCTV cameras would be displayed on multiple screens at the RPF control room for monitoring. Each HD camera at the station consumes approximately 1TB of data and 4k camera consumes 4 TB data per month.
The video feeds will be stored for 30 days for playback, post-event analysis and for investigation purposes. Important videos can be stored for longer duration.
Under phase one, VSS is being installed at 200 stations across India and till now work has been completed at 81 stations. The South Western Railway (SWR) has recently commissioned video surveillance system at six major stations -- Ballari, Belagavi, Vasco-Da Gama, Bengaluru Cantonment, Bangarpet, Hassan, Shivamogga Town and Sathya Sai Prasanthi Nilayam.
Integrated security systems comprising CCTV have already been installed at 11 stations including Bengaluru, Yesvantpur and Mysuru. With this, the SWR has functional CCTVs at 17 locations and will complete the work in Phase one by having CCTV functional at a total 20 railway stations by end of January 2020.
Security personnel can monitor these cameras not only from station control rooms but also from central security control rooms located at divisional headquarters -- Hubballi, Mysuru and Bengaluru.
IP-based Video Surveillance System (VSS) has also been installed at 10 railway stations of Western Railway namely Bhavnagar Terminus, Udhna, Valsad, Veraval, Nagda, Navsari, Vapi, Viragam, Rajkot, Gandhidham.
These steps are a part of a security plan under the Integrated Security System (ISS) which was approved in 2016 to strengthen surveillance mechanism at 202 railway stations.
The ISS will comprise CCTV cameras, access control, personal and baggage screening system and bomb detection and disposal system which together provide multiple checking of passengers and baggage from the point of entry in the station premises till boarding of train.
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Kulkarni became victim of BJP conspiracy as he grew politically in North Karnataka: Shivakumar
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Bengaluru (PTI): Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar claimed on Friday that Congress MLA Vinay Kulkarni, who was sentenced to life imprisonment in a murder case, has become a victim of a BJP conspiracy because he was growing politically in the north Karnataka region.
Stating that he has faith in Kulkarni and believes he has done nothing wrong, he said the former minister will fight the case legally by filing an appeal.
A Bengaluru court on Friday sentenced Kulkarni and fifteen others to life imprisonment in the BJP leader Yogeshgouda Goudar murder case.
On Wednesday, Santhosh Gajanan Bhat, Judge of the Special Court for cases involving elected representatives, convicted Kulkarni and others under various IPC sections, including criminal conspiracy and murder.
“I respect the court. But there was a big conspiracy in this case. When the police were about to file a B-report, the CBI was given the case to harass him (Kulkarni). Vinay Kulkarni has become a victim of a BJP conspiracy as he was growing politically in north Karnataka,” Shivakumar said.
Speaking to reporters in New Delhi, he said Kulkarni has several legal options.
“I have spoken to his family. He swore on God and told me that he had not done anything wrong. I still have faith in him. I feel that he has not done anything wrong. He has an opportunity to file an appeal,” he said, adding that he stands with Kulkarni’s family and supporters and believes he will get justice.
The case pertains to the killing of Goudar, a BJP zilla panchayat member, in Dharwad on June 15, 2016. Kulkarni was a minister at the time. Hired assailants allegedly attacked and hacked Goudar to death in his gym in Saptapur, Dharwad.
Following demands from Goudar’s family and others, the then-BJP government transferred the case to the CBI in 2019.
Veteran BJP leader and former Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa, under whose tenure the case was handed over to the CBI, told reporters in Chikkamagaluru, “I said what I needed to say when the crime happened, and what I said—that the guilty should be punished and justice should be served—has proven true.”
Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, BJP leader and MLC C T Ravi, reacting to the court order, said, “Justice delayed, but not denied.”
