K’taka: Ultra HD cameras installed in 11 railway stations for facial recognition

Bengaluru: In order to improve safety, the Ministry of Railways plans to install an Internet Protocol(IP)-based video surveillance system (VSS) at railway stations under the jurisdiction of South Western Railways.

On February 11, Ajay Kumar Singh, General Manager of SWR inaugurated the Integrated Security Command and Control Centre for VSS at Rail Soudha.

Under the Nirbhaya fund, the Railway Board has approved the installation of the system in 983 stations across India.

VSS has been installed at 11 railway stations so far, at waiting areas, reservation counters, parking zones, entrances and exits, platforms, foot over bridges, and booking offices.

Along with a video recording and storage facility, ultra HD cameras with 4K resolution for facial recognition have been deployed for the first time. In order to get better coverage and clearer image, four types of full HD cameras have been installed, them being- Dome type for indoor areas, Bullet type for platforms, Pan Tilt Zoom type for parking areas, and Ultra HD-4K for crucial locations.

The Railway Protection Force (RPF) control room monitors the CCTV live feeds displayed on multiple screens.

The 11 railway stations where VSS have been provided  are as follows,

1. Bengaluru Cantonment (27 cameras),
2. Bangarpet (36),
3. Belagavi (40),
4. Ballari (37),
5. Hassan (35),
6. Hosapete (22),
7. Hubballi (19),
8. Krishnarajapuram (30),
9. Shivamogga (29),
10. SSP Nilayam (25) and
11. Vasco da Gama (40)

Whereas KSR Bengaluru, Yeshwantpur and Mysuru have already been provided with Integrated Security System (ISS).

Ajay Kumar asserted that six more stations will be provided VSS by March 2021 at Vijayapura, Gadag, Davanagere, Birur, Banaswadi, and Kengeri.