The Hindu Business Line : High footfall places have surveillance systems in place

Post-the Mumbai terrorist attack on November 26, 2008, there is now a sense of urgency in having security initiatives in the Government buildings, private assets and in high ‘footfall' places such as the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) and the Sabarimala temple in Kerala, according to Mr Rothin Bhatacharyya, Chief Executive Officer, HCL Security Ltd (a subsidiary of HCL Infosystems).

While the Government has initiated most of the security initiatives to protect its critical infrastructure such as ports, airports and railways, the private sector has also increased surveillance of its infrastructure, he said.

At TTD, for instance, HCL has set up seven control rooms to monitor what goes on in the cash-rich temple. It has also set up surveillance systems at the ongoing Kumbh Mela in places such as Haridwar and Rishikesh where the river Ganges flows, he told Business Line on the sidelines of a conference on Advanced technologies in security systems organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry.

For the forthcoming Commonwealth Games at Delhi, HCL Security has tied up with the Delhi Government to set up the country's first exclusive Government Radio Network-based on terrestrial trunked radio to provide a secure communication network for the games, he said. In the last 18 months of its inception, the company as a system integrator has over 100 customers across India having security systems such as surveillance systems and control rooms set up, he said.

Mr Bhatacharyaa, quoting research firm Frost & Sullivan, said the homeland security market is estimated to be around $1 billion and by 2016, to increase nearly ten times. Currently, most of the security systems are working in silos. Each building has its own protection systems and information is not shared with any of the external agencies. This trend needs to change with an ‘integrated' approach involving the government, security agencies and private sector in sharing of information, he said.