The Assembly on Tuesday witnessed yet another round of sparring between the government and the Opposition over the Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled traffic cameras installed to detect traffic offences in the State.
United Democratic Front (UDF) legislators accused the government of awarding the contract for the project to the State-run Keltron in annuity mode, despite opting for the BOOT (Build, Own, Operate, Transfer) model during the tender process.
Dismissing the allegation, Transport Minister Antony Raju asserted the government decided to adopt the annuity mode for the project well in advance since such an arrangement ensured the Motor Vehicles Department did not have to pay a large sum upfront. Besides, the agreement also made Keltron legally bound to undertake maintenance even after the guarantee period. The project proposal, he added, was sent to the Finance department for scrutiny at various stages.
