PM orders swift AI camera rollout on Dhaka roads

It is Tarique Rahman’s third such meeting on easing the capital’s traffic congestion

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has ordered officials to speed up the installation of AI cameras across Dhaka as part of a push to modernise the capital's traffic management.

He also directed authorities to clear old and expired vehicles from the city's roads.

The directives came at a meeting on Monday morning at the Cabinet Division’s Public Administration Conference Room in the Secretariat, where the prime minister sought an update on efforts to ease congestion and improve traffic systems, his Additional Press Secretary Atikur Rahman Ruman said.

The premier asked how much progress had been made, how many AI cameras had been installed on the roads, and when the rest would be put in place, he added.

"The prime minister has told those concerned to complete the work of installing AI cameras quickly, to modernise the capital's traffic management," Ruman said.

It was Tarique's third meeting on traffic congestion and traffic management in the capital.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP)'s Traffic Division has been running AI technology on a trial basis at traffic points since May 7.

The AI-enabled cameras are fitted with software that detects violations of the Road Transport Act 2018.

Police say AI-powered Pan–Tilt–Zoom (PTZ) cameras were also fitted at signal points across 30 major crossings in the capital in the middle of last month, and are now in operation.

Under the software's instructions, the cameras flag a vehicle the moment a violation is detected, and a digital case is then issued to its owner.