Kolkata: In the wake of the recent stampede at Chorbagan Sarbojonin, Kolkata Police has heightened vigilance over crowd management by deploying artificial intelligence to regulate massive footfall at major pandals during the festive season.Cops on Sunday have reintroduced an AI-powered people-counting system at the prominent Phatakesto pandal at Amherst Street. If the project proves successful, police plan to expand the technology to other major high-footfall pandals across the city. The advanced surveillance setup allows officers to track real-time visitor numbers inside the venue. Three special AI-enabled cameras have been positioned above the entry, mid-pandal, and exit zones. Based on a pandal’s pre-determined physical capacity, the system automatically calculates occupancy limits and provides continuous updates. It has been fixed at a maximum of 150 for these pandal, said sources.A dedicated control booth set up adjacent to the pandal displays live data on computer screens, indicating the exact headcount inside and the remaining available capacity. The system operates on a three-tier visual signal setup to maintain crowd flow. A green signal indicates safe capacity with adequate room for more visitors. The yellow light begins to blink as footfall approaches capacity, specifically when the headcount crosses 150, signaling building pressure inside the venue. Finally, a red signal gets triggered once the full capacity of 200 is reached. At this stage, organisers will strictly halt new entries, and access will resume only after the crowd thins out and the monitor returns to green.According to Kolkata Police, the system is scheduled to operate daily for six to 12 hours each day.
