After completing the Rs 949-cr CCTV surveillance project, govt looks to increase number of cameras to 6,020
Forced to scale down the roll-out of CCTV cameras due to poor planning, the state government is planning to fill in the gaps and ensure that the surveillance system is stronger in the city. The government plans to increase the number of cameras to 6,020 after the completion of the Rs 949-crore CCTV surveillance project.
After the 26/11 terror attacks, the government planned to set up 6,020 remotely-controlled, high-definition quality IP cameras for surveillance at sensitive spots, aid investigations, improve traffic management and generate evidence for judicial scrutiny.
But poor planning forced the government to reduce the cameras to be installed to 4,717 due an increase in the number of poles on which they were to be mounted across 1,510 locations.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis confirmed they would increase the cameras to 6,020. "This was the initial plan, but we had to put up more poles as opposed to our initial assessment," Fadnavis said.
A senior home department official confirmed that the move was being contemplated. He added that the CCTV surveillance project was scalable, allowing for the addition of more cameras when the need arises.
"The IT infrastructure is ready. We need to undertake trenching for last-mile connectivity to lay poles to mount new cameras. It will not take much time," another official noted, adding that the police will also achieve network connectivity with CCTVs set up in areas like BKC and the Mumbai Port.
NOW AND THEN
- The CCTV project was initiated after the 26/11 terror attacks and the high-level enquiry committee under former Union Home Secretary Ram Pradhan, which probed the attacks, had touched on the issue.
- The plan to install an average of 14 cameras per sq km was bid out July 2011 onwards but faced repeated hurdles.
- The project includes two control rooms at the police commissioner’s office and traffic police headquarters, a disaster recovery room and two data centres, among others.
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