Thrissur/Thiruvananthapuram: Setting up of Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled CCTV cameras to capture and fine traffic violators as part of the State Government's Safe Kerala initiative has run into a controversy with senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala alleging huge corruption in the deal to award contracts and sub-deals to procure and install equipment and escalation of the project cost.
However, Keltron, the state PSU contracted to implement the project across Kerala denied any wrongdoing. It also denied any involvement in the Bengaluru-based company SRIT awarding sub-contracts.
Chennithala, a former Opposition Leader, said the government inked a deal with the Kerala State Electronics Development Corporation Limited (Keltron) in 2020 to set up a fully automated traffic enforcement system.
The state PSU then awarded the contract for the project to Bengaluru-based SRIT India Pvt Ltd in violation of tender norms, Chennithala claimed.
"Rs 151.22 crore has been allocated for this purpose. Did other companies participate in the tender? Has the contract been awarded following the tender criteria? Keltron should answer these questions," Chennithala said.
Chennithala further alleged that SRIT, which had no experience handling such projects, sub-contracted the work to two Kerala-based companies -- Light Master Lighting India Limited at Nalanchira in Thiruvananthapuram and Rasadio Technologies Private Limited at Malaparamba in Kozhikode -- who too were inexperienced in the matter.
"In this, Light Master withdrew from the contract. None of the companies has any previous experience in the said work. Government is looting the public money by keeping the PSU as a front," Chennithala alleged.
He also alleged that the whole deal for Rs 232 crore was more than three times the sum first projected by the companies. "While SRIT and the two Kerala companies said they will complete the project for Rs 75 crore, the government projected a cost of Rs 151 crore. This has now escalated to Rs 232 crore. Why is the amount going up?" Chennithala said.
Besides the alleged financial irregularities, he also claimed that the cameras were only automated number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras and not AI-based as claimed by the government.
"AI is a process. There are no such cameras. These are only ANPR cameras. To mislead people, it is being projected as AI cameras," Chennithala claimed.
He said if the government does not disclose in the next few days the details of the initiative and why the cost went up, "I will release all the details".
In response to Chennithala's allegations, State Transport Minister Antony Raju told reporters that Keltron has to answer the accusations made by the Congress leader.
He said that the idea behind the project was to bring down the number of road accidents, due to traffic violations, and the resultant deaths.
Keltron denies charges
Denying the charges of wrongdoing, Keltron CMD N Narayana Murthy told Manorama News that PSU's contract with SRIT was to assist in the construction and installation of cameras. The five years of operational cost is Rs 232 crore and the construction cost is Rs 160 crore, he said.
"Sub-contacts were awarded by SRIT. Keltron was not involved in inking such deals," he clarified.
