Ghaziabad to bring 14 more junctions under ITMS cameras before winter

Ghaziabad’s Integrated Traffic Management System network is set to expand to 14 additional junctions, including several busy locations in the old city and major traffic corridors.

The Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation has selected the new locations after receiving recommendations from the traffic department. Cameras are expected to be installed before winter.

The additional locations include Crossings Republik, Ghanta Ghar, Navyug Market, Dudheshwarnath Mandir, Lal Kuan, Turab Nagar, Kavi Nagar, RNE Rotary, RDC Mall, CR Township, Diamond Flyover, Holy Child roundabout, Mohan Nagar and Tigri cut along the Noida border, reported The Times of India.

“Earlier, GMC had identified 25 additional spots, but based on the recommendations of the traffic department, 14 new spots have been selected,” a GMC official said, adding that cameras would be installed before winter.

The first phase of the ITMS network was rolled out on January 31 and covered 57 major highway intersections and junctions.

The new locations have been selected largely because of heavy traffic volumes, frequent tailbacks and vehicular pollution.

Ghanta Ghar, Navyug Market and Turab Nagar are among the busiest parts of old Ghaziabad, where congestion is linked to roadside parking, encroachments and pedestrian movement.

Lal Kuan is a major convergence point where traffic from the Delhi-Meerut Expressway, NH-9 and GT Road comes together before dispersing towards Dadri, Bulandshahr and Aligarh. Kavi Nagar, RDC and Diamond Flyover also handle traffic from residential, commercial and highway corridors.

The ITMS project was launched using Rs 53 crore released under the Smart City programme. Of that, Rs 2.4 crore was spent on the command centre, while operation and maintenance costs were estimated at Rs 14.4 crore.

The existing network has also generated a significant number of automated traffic violations. Traffic department data show that 5.7 lakh automated e-challans, involving fines of more than Rs 10 crore, had been issued through high-definition CCTV and Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras until August.

Between February and August, the system issued 5.3 lakh challans to bikers for riding without helmets. More than 14,000 challans were issued for triple riding, over 11,000 for red-light violations and close to 7,000 for zebra-crossing violations.

The expansion is also expected to provide authorities with additional traffic data and help monitor pollution levels during winter.