CCTV cameras have been installed in 632 buses
Mamata Banerjee had promised to turn Kolkata into London. While most could say she is way off that mark, some of the buses that her government is running in the city certainly have a new look. So "new-look" that not only are many of them air conditioned, 632 of them have CCTV cameras installed inside. It has triggered a debate about Big Brother but women say they feel safer.
Sharmishtha Nandi, a passenger travelling on one of the AC-cum-CCTV buses from Howrah station to the Kolkata airport says, "The benefit is, if someone is planning to doing something wrong, then because of the CCTVs, they won't do it." Deboshmita, a fellow passenger and an IT worker who often does late evening shifts says, "Being a woman if I am travelling at night, if something happens to me, at least a valid proof can be there about what happened, who is the victim and who has done something wrong. I believe it is a good initiative."
There are those who don't like the idea of Big Brother watching but they are in minority it seems. Dr Vijay Kumar Panigrahi, who had just arrived from Bhubaneswar and boarded a CCTV bus, says, "Obviously it is an intrusion into the privacy. I don't think it is a very welcome step particularly in public places." But a passenger, Ashwin, sitting next to him, quipped, "Sometimes it is good if big brother is watching you." Deboshmita joined the debate saying, "How can it be a loss of privacy because public bus, it is not my bedroom that someone has put a camera in my bedroom right? It's a public bus."
CCTVs are not installed in AC buses alone but in 461 non-AC buses as well. All run by the Calcutta State Transport Corporation (CSTC) which doesn't have London on its mind but better simply public transport.
Bishamdeb Dasgupta, Managing Director, CSTC, said, "I can't say it will be London or a different city, metro. But it will be a smart city as far as public transport is concerned. Everything will be smart. Ticketing system, surveillance system, management system, everything will be smart."
So CCTVs in Kolkata's buses getting a thumbs up. People are also looking forward to the idea of a smart pre-paid card.