VIBHA VERMA
THE GOAN I PANAJI
More than five years after the scheme wasscrapped amid controversy over its alleged misuse by some citizen volunteers,its pro-posed revival appears to have been delayed by procedural hurdles andadministrative red tape.
Officials had earlier indicated that thescheme would return in a new form under a public-private partnership model.Under the proposed arrangement, Mistotex Technology Pvt Ltd was shortlisted toimplement the project, with the company expected to create the required infrastructureand share 60.5 percent of the revenue generated from traffic fines with thegovernment.
Sources said that under the proposed system,dash cameras equipped with artificial intelligence were to be installed onpolice vehicles and buses operated by the Kadamba Transport Corporation todetect violations in real time. These cameras were expected to capture offencesincluding triple seat riding on two-wheelers, riding without helmets, speedingand other traffic violations. "The live feed from the dash cams will besent to the control room," sources said.
An Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR)unit mounted on the vehicles was also expected to transmit data in real time toa local computer system, including number plate details, device status,temperature readings, CPU usage and related operational metrics. Officials saidthe system would also display the pass or fail status of in-coming and outgoingvehicles based on the verification of their documentation.
The revival was first discussed during ahigh-level review meeting in 2023, held against the backdrop of rising trafficviolations and road accidents in the State.
At the time, it was decided that the SentinelScheme would be reviewed and reintroduced initially with police personnel alonereporting violations for action by senior officers.
"The department had also contemplatedallowing public participation in the future, but with stringent norms,"sources said, recalling concerns over misuse during the earlier version of thescheme.
The department had also explored thepossibility of collaborating with hotels, industries and other establishmentsto recognise and reward police personnel through corporate social responsibilityinitiatives linked to the scheme.
Originally launched in 2017 as the brainchildof former Director General of Police Muktesh Chander, the Traffic SentinelScheme sought to promote community policing by enabling citizens to reporttraffic violations through a mobile application.
The scheme, which offered monetary incentivesto citizens for reporting offences, was first kept in abeyance from July toDecember 2020 and was officially scrapped by the State Cabinet in January 2021.
At the time, the government had said thatenforcement by the traffic police and CCTV surveillance would be sufficient toimprove road discipline
