Koyambedu market under surveillance

C Shivakumar

Chennai:

Asia’s biggest vegetable, fruit and flower market in Koyambedu is now under surveillance with the installation of seven cameras in the vegetable market.

Market Management Committee (MMC) sources told Express that a total of seven cameras have been installed from Gate number 7 to Gate number 14. The cameras were installed on February last.

Initially, the plan to install cameras in that area is to  regulate the heavy traffic during the early hours, MMC sources said.

Interestingly, the cameras have been installed following a recommendation by Tamilnadu Urban Infrastructure Financial Services Limited (TNUIFSL).

TNUIFSL has proposed to set up CCTV cameras around 30 locations in the market. But MMC sources said that initially 16 cameras will be installed.

Seven have already been installed and we are planning to add nine more cameras to cover the fruits and flower market. However, this would only materialise after the elections, MMC sources said.

 The cameras installed are infra-red cameras and clear images could be captured even during the night, a MMC source said.

Interestingly, many of the traders are oblivious to the fact that they are being monitored by the cameras.

The control room which is monitoring the images is located at the MMC office. “Gates seven to 14 are under surveillance. We currently have three shifts of eight hours each with a skeletal workforce to monitor the images,” the MMC source said.

Interestingly, plans were on to install surveillance cameras two years. Officials then stated that they had to seek the expertise of police before installing the CCTV cameras.

Meanwhile work is also gathering pace to wall the entire market. The work order worth Rs 1.25 crore has already been given to wall the market and work has also started in this regard. Even the gates of the market are now being refurbished.