NAVVNEET DUBEY
Jammu: While the 58-km Jammu Ring Road has significantly eased traffic movement by bypassing congested city routes, ensuring safety on the high-speed corridor has emerged as a major challenge. Though around 70 high-capacity CCTV cameras, capable of monitoring a one-kilometre stretch each and installed at every 700 metres, have been put up along the entire route from Vijaypur to Nagrota, the surveillance system is yet to be made operational. The delay is hampering police investigation in cases of hit-and-run and other criminal activities, as identifying and tracking vehicles involved becomes difficult without camera footage. The Ring Road passes through Vijaypur, Bishnah, Miran Sahib, Satwari, Kanachak, Gharota, Akhnoor and Nagrota police jurisdictions and witnesses heavy vehicular movement daily. With over speeding common, the risk of accidents remains high, making early operationalisation of the solar-powered camera network and its proposed control room near the toll plaza critical.
If the cameras were functional, police could get help in identifying suspicious vehicles and investigating accidents. It is pertinent to note that around 70 high-capacity cameras have been installed across the entire Ring Road. One camera has been installed every 700 metres and each is capable of monitoring an area of one kilometre.
Work on installing CCTV cameras on the Ring Road started in late December 2025. Under the plan, high-capacity cameras were to be installed along the entire stretch. Arrangements have also been made to run them on solar power. Along with this, there is a plan to install high-mast lights to ensure surveillance on the road even at night. Despite completion of installation, the cameras have not been switched on. A control room is to be built near the toll plaza for their operation. Technical staff there will monitor footage from the cameras. However, information on when the control room will be ready and when cameras will be operational is not yet available. Official information regarding total number of cameras and their present technical status is also not available.
A senior police officer said that no information has been given to police by NHAI regarding operationalisation of cameras. He said about 90 percent construction work of Ring Road has been completed, while work on one important tunnel is still underway. To prevent crime and accidents, police lays nakas at its own level. At present, there is no separate surveillance mechanism of police on Ring Road. An attempt was made to get timeline for operationalisation of cameras from NHAI officials, but they could not be contacted.
Last few days saw accidents on Ring Road including on September 22, a 63-year-old Purushottam Singh died after being hit by a car in Marh area. Last week of September two youth died in a motorcycle accident on Ring Road while a third was critically injured while on September 25, seven animals died and three were injured after being hit by vehicles near Maraliyan Gujjar Basti in Miran Sahib.
