A report prepared by Principal Secretary A.P.M. Mohammed Hanish has found that the tender process for the Safe Kerala project for the implementation of Artificial Intelligence-powered (AI) camera surveillance system across the State was carried out according to the guidelines of the Central Vigilance Commission.
Presenting the report here on Friday, Industries Minister P. Rajeeve said all the allegations and controversies related to the AI camera system were baseless and attempts at creating a smokescreen.
According to the report, the project was implemented transparently, with the uploading of technical evaluation reports, financial evaluation reports, and other documents at every stage on a public portal.
Subcontracting is allowed except for things related to data security, data integrity, and facility management device configuration. One issue the report has cited is that there was no need to mention the subcontractors, as the original contract was between Keltron and SRIT.
The report also observes that the administrative sanction for the project had to be completed earlier than what had to be done for the project.
The report recommends the formation of a high-power committee at an earlier phase of implementation of such big projects which involves several departments, as it will aid in better monitoring. Keltron and other public sector units have the freedom to enter into contracts with other agencies, but systems have to be in place to ensure that Keltron’s interests are protected.
Mr. Rajeeve said Keltron had experience of three decades in traffic management systems. For the latest project, it managed to develop three components in house and also carried out the assembling.
The Minister said those raising the allegations should think about whether the current climate of companies being forced to leave the State due to allegations was good for the State. He criticised the media for not debating the issue of the Mediatronics company deciding to leave the State due to the controversies.
