Maharashtra to put installation of AI cameras at liquor shops and bars on hold
The decision to install AI cameras at shops and bars was scrutinised in last week’s meeting chaired by Mahrashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.
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Following the accidents, the Maharashtra government directed the speedy installation of the said cameras. (Representational)The new Maharashtra government is set to put on hold the state Excise Department’s experimental basis exercise of installing high-resolution CCTV cameras with artificial intelligence (AI) at liquor shops and bars to determine the age of a customer from their face.
It is learnt the Maharashtra State Excise Department made the decision following negative feedback from shop owners over the high investment worth Rs 4.5 lakh for the installation of such cameras and also questions being raised on the practicality of the exercise where a single control room would be monitoring underage customers in more than 2,000 liquor shops and permit rooms across Mumbai. Sources said questions have also been raised on the availability of the cameras with specifications mentioned with a single vendor only, which, too, has come under the scanner.
As per the directions, this exercise was to be undertaken in Mumbai and based on its success it was to be implemented across the state. The number of liquor shops and permit rooms in Mumbai is around 2000 and if implemented across the state, the number would be more than 7000.
The decision by previous state excise minister Shambhuraj Desai of the Shiv Sena was thoroughly scrutinised in last week’s meeting chaired by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who now holds this portfolio. “First of all, the installation cost was discussed. There have been numerous complaints about it. Secondly, the practicality of this exercise was also reviewed. It has been decided not to go ahead with this for the time being, since it was on an experimental basis in Mumbai alone,” said a senior official from the deputy CM’s office.
A senior official from the state Excise Department said that no written orders have yet been received cancelling the decision. “The issue was discussed. But as of now, there are no written orders,” the official said, on the condition of anonymity.
On May 19, 2024, a 17-year-old boy under the influence of alcohol allegedly drove a Porsche car and fatally struck two bike-riding software engineers in the Kalyani Nagar area of Pune. A month later, another luxury car driven by a son of the leader of the ruling Shiv Sena hit a two-wheeler in Mumbai’s Worli area. It resulted in the death of a woman.
Following these accidents, the Maharashtra government directed the speedy installation of the said cameras.
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