In the system, road intersections would be completely networked with the central traffic control room at Lalbazar, where on-tine information on what is happening on the roads would be available. From the central control room, either the computer or some of the most experienced and hand-picked officers can initiate intervention strategies to any problem, said Singh.

"In our current auto-manual system, only two-three situations, like peak hours and lean hours, are incorporated. But in the ATC, the computer will be fed with nearly 1,000 situations. It can measure the traffic flow and adjust signal timings accordingly," said an officer. "For instance, if an accident occurs at the JL Nehru Road-SN Banerjee Road crossing, the computer would immediately take intervention strategies and change signals to divert traffic."

But human intervention would be inevitable at some point of time, the officers concede. "In case of a massive rally or some major chaos, any system is bound to fail. In such situations, the system will switch from full-auto mode to manual mode, allowing traffic personnel to operate signals according to the ground situation," said an officer.

Traffic engineers have started surveying the roads for the installation of the system. Every crossing in the ATC perimeter would have television camera and registration number plate reader. "Any errant vehicle, whether at night or during the day, would be photographed violating traffic rules. Here again, we will be less reliant on traffic personnel at the crossing, said the officer.