In a first, Telangana cops use AI to monitor crowd at Medaram

Hyderabad: Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology used for the first time by the Telangana State police helped the State Government in the prevention of untoward incidents at the Medaram Jatara. According to the state police data, approximately one and a half crore devotees visited the four-day celebration this year.

IT officials have been involved in the study of Artificial Intelligence technology for the last six months. Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) had earlier ordered that the event should be conducted without any incidents.

Director-General of Police M. Mahendar Reddy decided to use advanced technology during the Jatara. He instructed the officials of IT wing and other senior officers to look into the technology used during Prayag Raj Kumbh Mela, A similar technology was used for the Medaram Jatara.

According to Telangana police, 14 high definition cameras of AI were installed to estimate the crowd by monitoring the inflow of devotees across routes leading to Gaddelu from Jampanna Canal near RTC bus stand, Orattam. All these cameras were connected to the command and control centre set up at the make-shift police camp. From there, with the help of AI technology, the crowd density was estimated and instructions were given then and there to the point officers deployed at the Jatara.

Artificial Intelligence alerts officers, as and when the numbers of devotees in a square metre area exceeds the established limits. This helped prevent stampede-like incidents.

“It was not just about the crowd and queues, we monitored traffic leading to Medaram Jatara and it was effectively regulated. There was not even a single instance of traffic chaos,” said an official statement from Telangana police.

“We did this by allotting route-specific parking lots, where not a single vehicle was allowed to park on the roads. Entry and exit points were separated for avoiding collisions. Also, the shop-keepers and vendors were allotted specified spaces,” the statement added.

Bolstered by the success, the Telangana police is confident of similar AI-inspired technology use during festivals like Ganesh immersion and Bonalu.