Mantralaya security system gets a massive upgrade

MUMBAI: Mantralaya's security will upgrade with facial recognition, RFID cards, and time slots for visitors, costing ₹41.75 crore, from January 15.

MUMBAI: The security system at Mantralaya, the state secretariat, is getting a massive upgrade. Facial recognition technology, RFID-enabled identity cards, flap barriers and time slots for visitors are all part of a new system being put in place at a cost of ₹41.75 crore. It will be formally rolled out from January 15, in three phases.

Mantralaya. (HT FILE)

Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said, “There are allegations that Mantralaya has become a den of ‘middlemen’. It is true that some people visit the building on a daily basis for no apparent reason. The new security system will help weed out unauthorised footfalls in the state headquarters.” Tightening security would reduce the number of visitors by ensuring that 70% of referrals are addressed at the district and local level. “A robust mechanism will be set up at the local level for this,” Fadnavis said.

Special passes will be issued for entry to the sensitive sixth and seventh floors, which house the offices of the chief minister and deputy chief ministers. For the general public, entry to Mantralaya will be restricted to time slots. While flap barriers have been installed at all gates in the building complex, access to internal entrances will be based on facial recognition.

Employees, elected representatives and visitors will be issued RFID-enabled identity cards as part of the new security system. The government has already captured facial-recognition data from more than 80% of its 6,500 employees, while the data of contractual employees, MLAs, MPs and ministers will be captured in subsequent phases, said an official from the home department.

The officer said the new security system would halve the daily footfalls, from around 2,500, which goes up to over 3,000 on days when the cabinet convenes. “Crowding in Mantralaya not only compromises the security of the building but stresses its infrastructure and facilities. Overseeing the entry of the general public will be assigned to a specified department and there will be specific time slots, which will be finalised soon.”

He added that the sixth and seventh floors, where the offices of the chief minister and his two deputies are located, will be restricted to authorised individuals only. “Most of these visitors will require pre-approval from nodal officers from the specified department,” the officer said.

No flowers for Fadnavis

Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis says he does not want to be greeted with bouquets when touring districts in the state. According to a directive issued on Thursday by Vikas Kharge, additional chief secretary to the chief minister, officers must stop bringing bouquets to greet him on arrival in their respective districts and for meetings. This tradition must stop completely, states the directive.

Fadnavis has also ended the practice of holding a police parade on his arrival in a district. This is an old tradition in Maharashtra and has been observed by every chief minister, including Fadnavis during his stint between 2014 and 2019.