Honeywell completes phase one of Bengaluru's safe city project

US multinational Honeywell announced on Tuesday that it has completed phase one of Bengaluru’s Safe City project, which involved setting up more than 7000 video cameras at 3000 locations across the city.

These cameras, which are equipped with artificial intelligence (AI) enabled systems, will help in improving detection and response times as well as in mitigating future incidents by analysing real-time feeds.

Calling the project an “example of how technology can be used to help improve the safety and security of all Bangalore’s citizens,” Ashish Modi, the President of Honeywell India lauded the company for finishing the first phase in record time. The next phase of the project, the company said, would involve integrating these systems to create a seamless, connected experience for all citizens.

The safe city project, which comes under the ambit of the Union Home Ministry, also includes setting up ‘safety islands’ across the city. These will be well-lit and easily accessible public areas with uninterrupted surveillance and emergency call boxes.

Bengaluru City Police Commissioner CH Pratap Reddy praised the company’s state-of-the-art solutions, which, he said, would strengthen the police’s real-time monitoring capabilities. “Bengaluru is home to more than 11 million people, half of which are women. We’re happy to partner with Honeywell in this first-of-its-kind safety project” he added.

Bengaluru city police had set up a tender process for this project in 2017. It had to be called off three times before Honeywell won the bid in October 2021 for Rs 496 crore. Under the contract, the company had two years to set up the project, and would also be responsible for operating and maintaining it for the next five years. The Safe City Project is being financed by the Nirbhaya Fund.

According to official data by the state’s police, Karnataka saw 5,800 cases of molestation and outrage of modesty of women registered in 2022. Effectively, 15 women filed complaints in such cases every day. In Bengaluru, crimes against women and children rose by 30% compared to other crimes last year.