Hyderabad traffic police to use cameras on high-rises for ‘eagle view’ monitoring

The Hyderabad police are installing cameras on multi-storey buildings across the city to get an ‘Eagle View’ of traffic movement and congestion points. The initiative, supported by building owners, aims to help traffic officials detect problems in real time, alert ground staff, and suggest immediate solutions.

This was announced during a traffic review meeting held on Friday by C.V. Anand, Commissioner of Police, Hyderabad. Mr. Anand said that the average speed of vehicles in Hyderabad has increased from 17–18 kilometres per hour last year to 24–25 kilometres per hour now, thanks to the efforts of the traffic police.

“Around 1,600 new vehicles are being added to Hyderabad roads every day. Across the three Commissionerates, approximately 91 lakh vehicles are on the road daily,” said the Commissioner.

Meanwhile, Mr. Anand said ‘Operation Rope’ has shown good results and will be strengthened further through a more scientific approach.

On VIP movement, he said traffic is now being managed in a more planned manner. Instructions from the Chief Minister to avoid long traffic halts during his travel are being followed strictly, he added.

“About 80% of the traffic signals in Hyderabad now run on auto mode, helping improve the flow of vehicles. For traffic violations, the department is focusing more on the quality of penalties rather than the number of fines, which has led to a decrease in the overall fines being issued,” said the officer.

He further added that drone cameras are already in use for monitoring traffic, and Google is providing technical assistance in addition to Google Maps to improve the traffic system.

Traffic marshals

To address staff shortage, the traffic department is introducing the ‘Traffic Marshal’ system, where corporate companies can appoint marshals under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). These marshals will be trained by the police and used for traffic control duties.

Transgender individuals working as traffic assistants are delivering good results, Mr. Anand said, adding that a report has been submitted to the government. “More appointments will be made in the traffic department and the government is also preparing to fill vacancies in other departments,” assured the Commissioner.

Mr. Anand said preparations for the monsoon season are in progress, with coordination between the police, GHMC and HYDRA. He also mentioned that the disturbance caused by private travel buses is high, and a meeting will be held soon with their managements to take appropriate action.

The meeting was attended by all the ACPs, Additional DCPs, Inspectors and SIs from traffic stations, along with Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) D. Joel Davis, DCP Traffic-I B.K. Rahul Hegde, DCP Traffic-II Ashok Kumar and DCP Traffic-III R. Venkateswarlu.