Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Road Safety Authority has directed the Motor Vehicles Department (MVD) to explain how the ₹232 crore estimate for installing AI cameras under the Safe Kerala project was arrived at, and to disclose the officials involved in approving the amount.

The total project cost includes ₹151.22 crore to be paid to SRIT, the private firm that supplied the cameras.

The Authority sought these details in a letter to the MVD after halting the release of three instalments under the project. It has also demanded minutes and related documents of the meeting in which the project estimate was finalised.

Meanwhile, the Additional Chief Secretary of the Industries Department, A P M Muhammed Haneesh, sent a letter to the Road Safety Commissioner, Director General of Police Yogesh Gupta, to immediately release the ₹34.8 crore, which the Authority had blocked, to Keltron. The Managing Director of Keltron, the implementing agency of the AI camera project, also met the Authority officials and explained their version.

Despite these developments, the Road Safety Authority refused to budge. As per Keltron, it took over the project based on an order issued by the Transport Department and the Road Safety Authority had now blocked payment of the amount approved by the Department.

Additionally, there was something suspicious about the Road Safety Authority raising doubts about the project three years after the AI cameras were installed and disbursal of seven instalments of the payments, said a Keltron official.

The officer also said that the cameras will stop functioning if the dispute over payment persists.