PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government and the National Radio and Tele communication Corporation (NRTC) on Tuesday signed an agreement to implement the much-delayed Peshawar Safe City project at the cost of Rs2.2 billion in the next six months.

The agreement signing ceremony took place at the Chief Minister`s House, where Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur was present as the chief guest.

Peshawar Safe City project director Rai Ijaz Ahmad told Dawn that work on the project, which was slated for completion on Oct 21 this year, wouldstart immediately.

He said the installation of poles for 710 modern closedcircuit television cameras would start immediately.

`The Peshawar Safe City project features the latest CCTV cameras with 12-megapixel capacity though similar projects in other parts of the country have eight megapixels cameras,` he said.

The project director said that the project, which was conceived in 2008, remained stuck in the slow lane until the current government allocated funds for it.

He said that the project was not just a CCTV system and instead, it was based on artificial intelligence and would have the ability to identify criminals and vehicles for being linked with the police`s databases.

`In case the system flags a vehicle, the police`s emergency patrols will be immediately alerted,` he said.

Mr Saeed said the systemwould also have the e-challan facility for 15 traffic-related offences, and after the system`s integration with the excise and taxation department`s data, e-challan could be sent to the violators.

He said that the project would also be integrated with the CCTV system introduced for the Peshawar Bus Rapid Transit and other commercial installations.

The project director said that the project`s contract had been awarded to NRTC on a government-to-government basis.

`We`ve also proposed that the government set up a command and control centre and install over 500 other cameras in a year`s time,` he said.

Mr Saeed said that the government had approved the implementation of the Peshawar Safe City project in six terrorism-hit southern districts of the province, including Dera Ismail Khan, Bannu, Lakki Marwat, NorthWaziristan, Tank and Karak, at the cost of Rs6 billion.

He said that the government would legislate to set up the Safe City Authority in the province, which would issue specifications for CCTV cameras to be installed by commercial and public entities and allow their integration with the safe city systems.

In the first phase, the project will be implemented in Peshawar within six months at a cost of Rs2.2 billion.

This phase will involve the installation of 710 high-resolution surveillance cameras at 125 strategic locations across the city.

The second phase will see an additional 600 sites equipped with surveillance infrastructure, to be completed over a year at a cost of Rs5 billion.

Eventually, the Safe Cities Project will also be rolled out in Mardan, Kohat, Nowshera, Swat and Abbottabad.

An official statement issued here quoted Mr Gandapur assaying at the agreement signing ceremony that the government`s safe city flagship project would transform the provincial capital, all divisional headquarters and other `sensitive` districts into safe cities.

He said that ensuring peace and protecting public life and property was the government`s top priority.

The chief minister also said that the police force was being strengthened and modernised.

`The Safe City Project represents a key milestone,` he said, stressing the need for the use of modern technology for security purposes.

Mr Gandapur said that the initiative would not only enhance public safety but also boost people`s confidence in the state`s security apparatus.

He said his government was committed to improving governance and law and order through innovative and practical use of modern technology.