CHENNAI: The number of buildings with CCTV cameras has increased sharply after the recent murder of S Swathi, a techie, at Nungambakam station. Previously, the cameras that were seen only at the companies, apartments and other public places, have entered individual homes in the recent week. The CCTV dealers say that there has been an increase in their sales after the murder.
“More than 90% of the increase in sale is because of the households,” said Saraswathi, sales person of NRS Systems & Technologies.
“It’s true that there is an increase in sale, but there is also a lack of awareness among people,” said Sridhar Kamakoti, MD, Sridhar Unicard Technologies. “Even if I install a dome camera pointing towards my neighbours’ home, nobody would ever find it out unless something big happens.”
“To prevent assaults, it should be installed in public places. Sometimes, the presence of cameras can scare intruders,” said Krishna Kumar, a resident of Shollinganallur.
“Almost all textile shops have installed dome cameras. Sometimes it will be in front of the trail rooms and we, customers don’t know whether it is panning, unidirectional or where it is pointing to,” said Mithra Manikandan, a resident. “In case of bullet cameras, we can figure out easily. But it’s not seen widely in shops.”
“If I connect the CCTV camera to my mobile through wireless network then I can monitor from anywhere. It is that easy,” said an official from Tele-Tech Electronics, as he showed the live telecast of his Bengaluru office in his mobile.
But Muthu Siva, IT professional, avers, “Sometimes when I am not well, I would like to take a break while working. But how can I relax when I know that I am being watched by my officials? Sometimes it makes me hate my job.”
There are privacy concerns over the usage of CCTVs at certain places, but the cameras have reduced the number of assaults and break-ins, said B Prem Kumar, a software engineer. “More than installation, maintenance is the key. People tend to forget about it after some time. They don’t even know if it’s working,” says Basha, owner of MSB Systems and Securities.
(Interactive graphics: Vijesh CK)