AI camera scandal: Presadio had it easy as Lyte Master did all its work

Representative image: SIphotography / wattanaphob

Thiruvananthapuram: Even as the Safe Kerala Project on AI camera-based surveillance of road traffic in Kerala remains under a graft cloud, the exact roles of the sub-contractors are coming out in the open, though belatedly.

Presadio Technologies Pvt Ltd had not carried out the installation of the AI cameras and setting up of control rooms, reveal documents.

This is in complete contradiction to the claims of company director Surendra Kumar Nellickomathu that the firm, which was subcontracted the project along with Lyte Master Lighting India to install 726 Artificial Intelligence cameras across the state, did the works by itself.

The State Government had entrusted the Rs 232 crore project to detect traffic violations across the state to state PSU Keltron, which, however, outsourced the work to Bangalore-based private firm SRIT India for Rs 165 crore. The SRIT, on its part, again subcontracted the project to a consortium of companies that included Presadio Technologies and Lyte Master.

The new documents in this regard which are now out in the public reveal that the entire responsibility of the project implementation, including the installation of the cameras, was entrusted to the Lyte Master. The purchase order provided by SRIT to Lyte Master also included the amount for this. The same contract provisions and purchase orders were followed when Lyte Master was replaced by a consortium led by E-Centric Solutions. In effect, the Presadio pocketed 60 percent profit without doing any significant work.

An agreement signed between Keltron and SRIT in 2020 includes the provision that it would be Lyte Master which will have to carry out all the works entrusted with Presadio, and a purchase order to the tune of Rs 75 crore was issued to the former.

Similarly, the joint pact signed between Presadio and Lyte Master makes it clear that the latter was to appoint technicians and engineers for the installation of the cameras.

This also means that the personnel being deployed at the control rooms of the Motor Vehicle Department to monitor the traffic violations are from Lyte Master (now E-Centric), which bagged the sub-contract, instead of SRIT, which won the contract bid from Keltron.

The documents reveal that Prasadio didn’t do the installation activities though the partnership deal mentioned the firm would be carrying out field installation, project management, ensuring the quality of equipment, and paper works.

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