Anti-maskers pay up Rs 2.2 crore in Cyberabad, Rachakonda commissionerates

Hyderabad: Those who did not wear masks paid a total of Rs 2.26 crore in penalties in the Cyberabad and Rachakonda police commissionerates.

While the Cyberabad police commissionerate booked 5,620 cases, 17,022 violators were booked in the Rachakonda police limits from May 11 to December 15, police data revealed. The Rachakonda police booked 4,408 cases in the Malkajgiri Zone, 9,891 in LB Nagar and 2,723 in the Bhongir zone.

The use of computer vision and deep-learning techniques linked to surveillance cameras and implementing artifical intelligence (AI) to track down the ‘mask on’ rule violations was first done by the police since May 8.

According to police sources, AI was used to identify and book the violators. “The tech was used to use surveillance cameras to track down those not wearing masks and alert mobile patrols in the local area to trace such persons. Those caught violating the rule were booked under Section 51(b) of the Disaster Management Act, which was amended in view of the prevailing Covid-19 pandemic,” an official said. Apart from ensuring that they wore masks, a fine of Rs 1,000 was imposed on them.

Explaining how the system worked, officials said that after identifying violators in a particular area, the staff at the Command and Control Centre would pass on the information to either a Rakshak or a Blue Colt police patrol team, who would track down the person.

“Those people not wearing masks in public are violating the fundamental right (right to life and health) of other citizens,” police said.