CM Suvendu Adhikari Orders Body-Worn Cameras for Transport Officials to End Tout Menace Across West Bengal
West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has issued a firm directive requiring all transport department officials posted at Public Vehicles Departments (PVDs) and other regional offices to wear body cameras while performing their duties. Live video feeds from these devices will be transmitted in real time to a central monitoring station at Paribahan Bhawan, enabling continuous surveillance of day-to-day operations across the state.
The Chief Minister made the announcement on Tuesday while speaking on the sidelines of a programme to flag off a fleet of 50 new eco-friendly CNG and battery-operated buses. These buses will ply multiple routes linking different parts of Kolkata with Howrah, Dankuni, Diamond Harbour, Barasat and New Town. The body-camera order forms part of a broader push to modernise and clean up the transport department, long notorious for the presence of touts and middlemen who prey on ordinary citizens.
Adhikari left little room for ambiguity. “I have directed the transport minister and the principal secretary (transport department) that every motor vehicle inspector and official at the PVDs must work with body-cameras fitted on them. This will address the problem of brokers and identify those who extort people,” he said. He further instructed that a dedicated central monitoring room be created on the lines of the one recently established by the health department. From this facility, authorities will be able to observe activities at offices in locations as diverse as Asansol, Beltala in Bhowanipur, Jalpaiguri and Kandi in Murshidabad. “The idea is that people should not be harassed and forced to pay cut money,” the Chief Minister emphasised.
The move targets a problem that has plagued West Bengal’s transport offices for decades. Applicants seeking driving licences, vehicle registrations, permit renewals or Aadhaar linkages routinely encounter touts operating just outside the gates or in the corridors of these offices. These intermediaries promise faster processing in exchange for substantial sums of money, exploiting the confusion and urgency of people unfamiliar with online procedures or those who prefer to complete formalities in person. A senior transport department official acknowledged the reality: “These touts operate outside transport department offices and promise quick delivery of services. A section of applicants in a hurry to, say, link their Aadhaar card with a driving licence often fall into their trap and end up paying hefty sums.”
Successive governments have attempted to tackle the issue. Staff identity cards were introduced, online portals for various services were rolled out, and public awareness campaigns were launched. Yet the problem has stubbornly persisted. Many citizens still prefer or need to visit the offices physically, creating opportunities for middlemen to intervene. The culture of “cut money” has become so entrenched that even those determined to follow official channels often find themselves delayed or obstructed unless they engage the services of a tout.
Transport Minister Arjun Singh himself confronted the issue head-on during a recent inspection of the Bhowanipur PVD office. He described the premises as a “den of corruption” — using the colloquial Bengali phrase “ghughu’r basha” — and admitted that the challenge of curbing touts remained formidable. “A den of corruption exists, and the challenge is how to curb it. Despite several services being available online, people continue to visit these offices and end up paying touts to get their work done,” Singh said. He announced that CCTV coverage would be expanded and help desks set up for visitors, measures that will now be reinforced by the body-camera mandate.
The Chief Minister’s decision draws direct inspiration from the health department’s newly inaugurated integrated control room at Swasthya Bhavan. Set up less than a fortnight earlier, the facility covers 15 state-run hospitals, including all medical colleges and hospitals in Kolkata. Live feeds from emergency wards, outpatient departments, corridors, storerooms and entry-exit points are monitored around the clock by a dedicated team. Adhikari had personally reviewed the system during a surprise visit and stressed that hospitals must remain free of touts so that patients receive proper care. By replicating this model for the transport department, the government aims to create a similar culture of constant visibility and accountability.
Body-worn cameras offer several practical advantages in this context. They create an objective record of interactions between officials and the public, making it harder for either side to make false claims. The knowledge that every conversation and transaction is being recorded and watched in real time acts as a powerful deterrent against demands for bribes. For citizens, the cameras provide a measure of protection and the possibility of evidence if harassment occurs. For honest officials, the technology can serve as a safeguard against baseless allegations. Over time, the accumulated footage can also help identify patterns of misconduct and enable targeted administrative action.
Implementation will require careful planning. Cameras must be procured in sufficient numbers, officials need training in their proper use, and robust systems for data storage, retrieval and privacy protection must be put in place. The central monitoring room at Paribahan Bhawan will need skilled personnel capable of reviewing feeds from multiple locations simultaneously and escalating irregularities promptly. The government will also have to ensure that the technology is rolled out uniformly across both urban and rural offices so that the benefits are not limited to Kolkata and a few major towns.
The order comes at a time when the new administration under Suvendu Adhikari is seeking to distinguish itself through visible improvements in public services. Adhikari, who previously served as Transport Minister between 2016 and 2020, is familiar with the department’s longstanding challenges. His government’s early focus on eco-friendly buses, road safety measures and now body cameras signals an intent to modernise both the fleet and the administrative culture that supports it.
For the average citizen, the real test will lie in whether the cameras translate into shorter queues, reduced unofficial payments and a more professional atmosphere at transport offices. If the monitoring system functions effectively and is backed by swift disciplinary action against those caught demanding or accepting bribes, the long-standing “tout raj” that has defined the public face of the transport department may finally begin to recede. The Chief Minister’s directive has set a clear expectation: officials will now work under the constant gaze of technology designed to protect the public interest rather than those who seek to exploit it.
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