Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:
The playing of an old audio clip through CCTV cameras linked to a speaker alerting citizens to vacate Jalna Road due to an incident of gas leakage in the tanker, for two consecutive days at the API Corner, surprised and panicked the citizens and passers-by. The audio clip was played on Wednesday and Thursday evenings.
It may be noted that the gas leakage incident from the tanker occurred two and a half months ago.
The Smart City Mission administration had installed 550 speakers linked to the city's CCTV cameras. These speakers are further connected with the two Command and Control Centres (CCC) situated at the Smart City headquarters and the police commissionerate headquarters.
If there is any traffic congestion on the road or circle due to irresponsible parking of vehicles (auto, four-wheelers, etc) then the cops sitting in the CCC raise an alarm through these speakers by watching the CCTV cameras screen. These speakers help in maintaining traffic discipline in the city.
It so happened that life at the API Corner, the commercial area, of the new city was going on as usual on Wednesday evening when suddenly the announcement of gas leakage was made through the speaker. The 1-minute audio clip said there had been a gas leakage. Hence vacate the Jalna Road immediately. The showrooms and the hotels in the vicinity should also vacate their possessions. Nobody should light up the gas stoves in their establishments or in their houses and also do not go towards Jalna Road. This surprised the traders, shopkeepers, and rickshaw drivers. The same announcement was repeated on Thursday at 6 pm. Again the people got panicked, but the police and municipal corporation administrations took no serious cognizance of it.
It has been clarified that no announcement was made through the police commissionerate CCC. When contacted the project manager (CCC, Smart City Headquarters) Faiz Ali said, “The district collector has ordered to put on an appeal for voting in the backdrop of the Lok Sabha election through speakers. The playing of the gas leakage audio clip seems to have been played wrongly. We will immediately correct the mistake.”