iNDICA NEWS BUREAU-
The North Carolina-based multinational conglomerate Honeywell Automation has bagged a $67M Bengaluru Safe City project under the Nirbhaya Fund, by the Government of India.
Safety for women in public spaces in India is very low, especially in remote areas and odd times. Several cases of harassment are being reported each day and many go unreported.
There have been many organizations and institutions, lobbying to initiate city management that offers better safety and security to women.
Through this initiative, the government aims to create a safe, secure and empowering environment for women and girls in public places, to enable them to pursue all opportunities without the threat of gender-based violence or harassment.
Honeywell will create an integrated Command & Control Centre to manage a state-of-the-art video system that features more than 7,000 video cameras at more than 3,000 locations across the city. The video system will provide advanced video analytics, including facial recognition, a ‘Dial 100’ application and drones.
Honeywell will also upgrade the existing Suraksha app of the city police to help improve the incident response rate and citizen engagement. The Bengaluru Safe City project will be implemented in phases. Honeywell will operate and maintain the security infrastructure for five years.
“We are honored to be selected for the Bengaluru Safe City project to address a key concern to improve the safety of its citizens, especially women and girls,” said Ashish Gaikwad, President, Honeywell India, and Managing Director, HONAUT.
Bengaluru is among eight cities selected for the Safe City project, which involves the identification of hotspots for crimes against women, and the deployment of infrastructure and technology through an awareness program.
In India, we have been a strong partner to the Government’s 100 Smart Cities Mission, with focus on people, processes and technology.
“Our technology-led integrator approach is helping city administrators make informed decisions and improve safety for citizens in near real-time. We want to now deliver this for Bengaluru, to turn it into a city that’s safer and more resilient,” said Ashish Modi, President, Honeywell Building Technologies, Asia.
Honeywell has delivered similar projects under the Smart Cities Mission across multiple states, including Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat.