Facial recognition system at Mantralaya: Chaos, confusion, long queues on first day

“The details of 10,500 officials and employees, which were received from the Information Technology department, have been fed into the system. Accordingly, the facial recognition system has been installed at all entrance gates,” an official said.

However, on the first day, several government officials struggled as their faces were not recognised by the system, forcing them to stand in line. “As my face was not recognised, I had to redo the entire process,” said an official from the deputy CM’s office. In addition to officials, journalists with accreditation and Home department passes were also initially denied entry by the system. After deliberations, they were eventually granted entry.

“Various facilities have been made available for the entry of officials, employees and public representatives, so that they don’t face any obstruction. However, it will be necessary for all of them to register their faces on the system. We appeal to them to do so at the earliest. Instructions have been given to officers and employees to upload the necessary data for face reading, so the system is updated and the process of entering the secretariat for officers and employees will become smoother and easier,” a government statement said.

The statement further emphasised that Mantralaya is considered a very sensitive and significant place, making security even more important. “In accordance with that, the decision to implement an internal security project at Mantralaya was taken at the government level,” it added.

Unhindered access for visitors has also been curtailed under the new system. Visitors will now be issued specific cards that will allow them to access only the required floors. Unlike before, when visitors could access any floor in Mantralaya, sensors on the floors will alert if individuals attempt to go to unauthorised areas.