THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The ruling LDF in Kerala criticised the UDF-led opposition for asking question in the Assembly regarding AI Cameras. UDF asked why instead of Keltron, all the contracts for the components required for the installation of AI cameras in Kerala were given to private contractors.
In response to the UDF’s question, State Transport Minister Antony Raju and Industries Minister P Rajeev stated that it was highly unfair for senior Congress MLA Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan to claim that the public sector undertaking (PSU) Kerala State Electronics Development Corporation Ltd (Keltron) doesn’t produce any components. The ministers argued that it was Thiruvanchoor himself, during his tenure as the state Home Minister in the previous UDF government, who utilized the PSU’s services to set up cameras across Kerala at a much higher cost than the AI cameras project.
Raju also refuted the allegations by the Opposition in the Assembly that the project was initially meant to be implemented under the BOOT (Build, Own, Operate, Transfer) model as per the tender document but was subsequently converted to an annuity mode.
The Congress has been raising corruption charges against the “Safe Kerala” project, which includes the installation of AI cameras, with the aim of reducing road accidents and traffic violations in the State since its inauguration in April. The UDF also filed a case in the Kerala High Court against the AI project.
The High Court, while seeking the stance of the state, Keltron, and the private companies involved in the project, noted that it was convinced that the PIL “needs to be examined from the perspective of changes in the dynamics of the project’s implementation, whether the changes are objective, bona fide, or tainted by any of the reasons mentioned in the petition.” The court also directed the state government not to make any financial payments related to the project without seeking further clarification from the court or until further orders are issued.
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