Nagpur: With over 40,000 cricket fans expected to gather at the Jamta Stadium for the T20I between India and New Zealand on January 21, the city traffic police has rolled out elaborate plans and deployed artificial intelligence (AI) tools for the first time to control crowds and parking.DCP (Traffic) Rohit Mahtani said two AI-based applications will be operationalized to assist police personnel in the field. He said, “The Parking Pal application will be used to update the parking spaces available at a given location in real-time and will help police manage the movement of vehicles. When one parking lot is full, the system will immediately prompt vehicles to divert to another parking lot.”Mahtani added that the second application, Nagpur Police’s AI Nirikshak project, will be widely used for crowd management. The system works through CCTV cameras installed in and around the stadium and along key routes, and uses the police’s Simba database to help identify criminals in the vicinity, detect suspicious behavior or the presence of weapons, and monitor crowd density. “This will enable police teams to respond quickly to situations,” Mahtani said.Adding to the match-day transportation challenges is the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) scheduled from 3pm to 5pm. One of the exam centers, St Pallotti’s College, is located in a busy corridor. With this in mind, traffic police urge students and their families to plan their commute well in advance. “Parents and students are advised to allow one hour to arrive at the exam center and make the necessary arrangements,” Mahtani said.He also advised commuters to avoid using Wardha Street unless necessary, during peak congestion hours, especially between 5pm and 7pm and between 10pm and 11:03pm on match days.The Transport Authority also announced that heavy vehicles will be prohibited from traveling along the route on match day and alternative detours will be arranged to minimize disruption. Cricket fans are being urged to use public transport, especially the underground, to avoid traffic jams and reach the stadium.TOI on Monday reported on the detailed preparations being undertaken by the traffic department ahead of the high-profile collision.
