How AI will help boost security in Ayodhya ahead of Ram Temple ‘Pran Pratishtha' — CEO of the firm behind it explains

As Ayodhya gears up for the Pran Pratishtha ceremony at the Ram temple on January 22, the Uttar Pradesh government is pumping in crores of rupees for high level security to maintain law and order in the city. For the first time, futuristic AI surveillance will also be used to identify suspicious activities and track down miscreants in the city, which is buzzing with preparations for the Ram temple ceremony.

Speaking to , Atul Rai, co founder and CEO of Staqu Technologies, the company behind the AI powered security system in Ayodhya, said, "There will be a high level of AI surveillance in Ayodhya for people with serious criminal records, including terrorism, murder, etc. For this, we've integrated the CCTV cameras, already installed in various parts of the city for purposes like traffic and community management, for efficient artificial intelligence based city surveillance." The AI surveillance CCTV cameras will cover famous hotspots of the city like Kanak Bhawan, Hanuman Garhi, Shri Nageshwar Nath Mandir, Ram Ki Paidi, and Ram Janmabhoomi.

The Indian tech startup is using its audio and video analytics software, Jarvis, to facilitate the use of AI to identify suspicious people and activities. The AI software will use features such as facial recognition and reverse facial recognition, enabling the identification of objects and people based on general inputs and movements.

“Reverse facial recognition will enable police to search for a particular person across the city using a photograph. The software would also allow them to search for a person or an object based on attributes entered in text form," explained Atul Rai “For example, you can search for a person wearing red trousers and a blue shirt, and the AI software will identify such people passing through different cameras in the city.

The software can also help identify suspicious vehicles with mismatched registration numbers. So the AI software extracts this attribute of the car and matches it with the e vahan Parivahan database and gives the results in real time," he added. Through Staqu's Trinetra software, which has enabled the UP police to digitise criminal records, these AI integrated cameras will also have access to a database of 8,00,000 people with criminal backgrounds.

AI surveillance in Ayodhya done as pilot project The AI surveillance in Ayodhya began in the first week of January. It is currently on a one month pilot project. "The whole idea is to test the concept for a month as it is not a fully active project. The pilot's success will pave the way for a full fledged implementation of the project in the city in the future," said Rai.

Currently, the Gurgaon based start up is implementing the pilot project as part of the expansion of its collaboration with UP Special Task Force (STF). The pilot project utilised the 10,000 20,000 CCTV cameras already installed in the city, including those present inside the temple premises, Ram Janm Bhoomi, and other parts of the city.

CCTV cameras' easy availability made integrating Jarvis for AI surveillance easier. However, the various construction sites in the city posed several challenges for the company. “Ayodhya is in an inauguration mood, a lot has been done on the ground by various government departments. There were operational challenges in executing the project, but we managed all these things with the help of the police and the government," said Atul Rai.

Since Staqu was already working with the UP police, it was easy to implement the AI surveillance pilot in the city. Livemint tops charts as the fastest growing news website in the world to know more. Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it's all here, just a click away!.