MEERUT: Uttar Pradesh is likely to soon have 'robots' managing traffic on busy intersections, according to senior police officials. A pilot project in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, in which a 14-foot-tall humanoid structure has been installed on a busy stretch to manage traffic, could be introduced in the state, according to additional director-general (Meerut zone) Anand Kumar."The project has performed well so far. If it proves worthy, we will certainly use it in busy intersections of western UP, at least in the initial phase," said Kumar. The 'Robocop' has been developed by a college in MP and will cost Rs 20 lakh as of now, which the police department felt would come down when it is produced in bulk.The mechanized structure can do multi-tasking like rotating on its axis, clicking pictures of traffic violators through an inbuilt camera and even issuing warnings through a public address system.Kumar said, "The robot alone will not serve the purpose. Crossings will be monitored by CCTV camera web network that will spot and challan every single law violator."At present policemen on traffic duty are highly under-staffed and it becomes really difficult to manage a huge traffic volume, said policemen. Kiren Yadav, former SP (traffic), Meerut, said, "Vehicular traffic is rising exponentially on the roads while traffic policemen are not present in adequate numbers to deal with the situation. Use of technology is a must now."Kumar said, "Our aim is to instill a sense of discipline among the masses even when there is no traffic policeman around. This is what happens in developed countries also. Anyone who flouts the rules will be booked because there is monitoring network everywhere that works on its own."As such police is eyeing the corporate social responsibility (CSR) fund of companies to finance strengthening of road safety infrastructure, which includes installation of a large network of CCTV cameras. "Though the promotion of road safety was included in Schedule VII of the Companies Act in April 2014, not much was done on this front. Now, we are planning to partner with corporates to finance road safety infrastructure that will include free training camps for drivers, training sessions for enforcement personnel, installation of a web of CCTV cameras and use of latest technology for better policing," added Kumar.

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