ITMS abandoned, contractor takes police department to court

The firm’s managing director PN Mahadevan said they have filed an arbitration with the Madras High Court demanding Rs 65 crores, which it spent on the first phase of the project completed in June, 2013. The Chennai city police terminated Purple Infotech’s contract in August, 2015, without citing any reason. However, sources from the company and poofficials told DT Next that the company didn’t meet the ‘demands’ of senior police officials. 

As a result, the much-hyped system is incomplete despite the completion of the first phase of the project. While there is none to maintain the installed CCTV cameras connected through leased lines, prospects of the second phase of the project look unclear. 

The 117-crore ITMS project was envisaged at checking traffic violations in real time with CCTV cameras feeding live visuals on to the giant monitors at the control room. “We had almost completed the project with the first phase itself. Our second phase would have been over in another six months. But not even a penny has been paid to us,” Mahadevan claimed. 

When contacted, a senior police official said there had been allegations of shoddy work from the company’s side and also regarding pressure on the company people to succumb to the ‘unethical’ demands of certain senior police officials. “Now the case is under the consideration of High Court and we cannot officially comment on it,” the official added.