Delhi Police gets more money to amp up traffic plan, procure hi-tech equipment

Budget documents said that the provision is for routine expenses as well as various schemes to be implemented by Delhi Police such as “developing traffic and communication network in NCR Mega cities and model traffic system, upgradation or expansion of communication infrastructure, upgradation of training, induction of latest technology and installation of traffic signals”.

The Delhi Police has also separately been allocated a budget to develop its infrastructure with Rs 270 crore allocated this year compared to Rs 259 crore last year, an increase of four percent. “This provision is for office building and Residential Building projects by the Delhi Police,” the budget document states.

Senior police officers and retired top cops said that the utmost priority expenditure from every budget is mostly devoted to equipment and logistic procurement for the police personnel. Retired ACP Rajender Singh said: “In order to modernise the police force and keep their weaponry updated, most of the expenditure is made in that category… Most rifles and pistols are imported and with the rising cost of maintenance, it is inevitable to focus on their upkeep too… Given that the G-20 summit is scheduled this year, the focus will also be on traffic management and ensuring that the much touted Intelligent Traffic Management System (ITMS) helps reduce congestion in key corridors.”

He added: “Apart from manpower, police vehicles and subsequent transportation costs also take up a majority of the police finances and the budget should provide a boost to that.”

A senior officer said that the current budget allocation takes into account the several high-end equipment being procured by Delhi Police to strengthen their force during the G-20 summit. “We are in the stage of procuring our own drones and other frisking equipment like hand-held metal detectors. Bulletproof SUVs for foreign dignitaries will also be bought. This all involves huge expenditure,” the officer said
Retired police officer Maxwell Pereira said that the foremost focus of the police budget should be to identify black spots in the city and ensure that errant vehicles are prosecuted for any traffic violation. “More traffic signals should be installed on key corridors to ensure there is no congestion of vehicles and there is easy flow of traffic… Apart from that, the maintenance of traffic signals and fixing those lying in disrepair should also be a priority point for spending the budget allocated this year,” Pereira said.

A senior traffic police officer, requesting anonymity, said: “As part of the ITMS, which is AI based, we are planning to install traffic signals with automatic timers which will have a CCTV camera sensing the amount of traffic on a particular road and switch to the green signal accordingly. Several other innovations such as a parking alert mechanism which will let commuters know whether a parking area is full way before the vehicle reaches the spot is also on the cards. We hope the development is carried out within the current budget.”