WB Govt to use optical fibrescopes to enhance Nabanna security

West Bengal government has decided to introduce optical fibrescopes to enhance security measures in and around state secretariat Nabanna.

Secretariat sources said initially ten optical fibrescopes would be provided to the Kolkata Police commandos, in charge of security of the 14-storied building, housing offices of senior officials and ministers including Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

The step came after a team of the National Security Guard (NSG) conducted a survey of the security arrangements in and around Nabanna last year and suggested a series of upgradation of the system.

"The decision to introduce optical fibrescopes came as per the NSG suggestion. Nabanna being the headquarter of the state is quite an important place and so the state government has taken up the suggestions quite seriously," a senior official told PTI.
 

Elaborating on the optical fibrescope, the official said it is a device connected to a long fibre with a very tiny camera on the top.

In case of combating terrorists inside their hideouts, the fibre can be passed in the place even through a tiny hole in the wall to take stock of activities and chalk out a strategy, he explained.

"The NSG has been using this device for quite sometime now, but since our commandos do not having this equipment, the decision was taken to provide them with it," he said.

"The finance department has already alloted Rs 2.6 crore for the purpose," the official said.

As per the NSG's earlier suggestions, 30 high-power CCTVs have already been installed outside the Secretariat and also on Vidyasagar Setu.

"These CCTVs have pan-tilt-zoom technologies, using which one can even record the details of the interior of a moving vehicle," he said.

It was also learnt that the state government had also purchased advanced security system devices like Real Time Viewing Systems (RTVS), Telescopic Manipulators and Explosive Trace Detectors as per the suggestion of the NSG.

According to the official, the state CID had earlier written to the government for release of funds to purchase RTVS and optical fibrescope devices as a part of the upgradation of the force.

"It seems that the CID will soon get the nod from the finance department. Hopefully by next month something positive will come up for them," the official said.