Traffic violators better be wary. According to the traffic police,CCTV cameras,which are installed at 100 junctions across the city to track traffic violators,will not be affected by the monsoon rains but will perform the same way they do during normal weather conditions. Pramoud Rao,managing director,Zicom,the company which installed the cameras at the behest of the Mumbai Traffic Police Department with a purpose to detect and track traffic violators,said,The types of cameras which have been installed at various signals and junctions across the city are used for outdoor surveillance. These cameras have been designed keeping in mind all the outdoor and weather elements which have the potential to affect their performance. Accoring to Rao,the cameras have been designed to withstand all kinds of weather conditions. The lens of the cameras are covered with a transparent protective coating which ensures water does not enter the camera during the monsoon. The same coating will protect the camera from other elements like dust. Asked whether the cameras would be able to record details like number plates that are necessary to track traffic rule violators during heavy rains,Rao said,The view of the cameras wont be affected by rains. In fact,the cameras also have zoom-in facility. This will help the person monitoring the traffic view details like registration plates. It can help show the driver behind the windshield and view his physical features without any difficulty. The cameras have been designed to give the same kind of performance during heavy rains as they do on a clear day. So the monsoon will not disturb the functioning of these CCTV cameras. The camera lens,which can help cops see up to 1.5 kilometres and can be moved at 360 degrees,is obviously a hit with the traffic department as it can help the monitoring official get a birds eye view of the traffic. A constable posted at the traffic signal cannot see everything. The cameras do away with that kind of problems and help maintain a close watch on the traffic situation, said Jaywant Kokte,one of the constables monitoring the visuals captured by the cameras. Asked about the clarity of the view during the monsoon,Kokte said,There is bound to be a bit blurry vision when it rains very heavily,but still the cameras will be able to make out the registration number of the vehicles in case of traffic violations. We do not anticipate any problems with the cameras during the rains.
