NEW DELHI: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Delhi is now one step closer to fulfilling its election promise of installing 1.4 lakh CCTVs cameras — 2,000 in each Assembly constituency across the national capital.
The government is in the final stages of selecting a company to execute the project, according to sources. Public Works Department had received bids from Larsen & Toubro and public sector unit Bharat Electronics for the project. BEL’s bid was the lowest.
“L&T and a public sector undertaking presented their plans and the cost of installing the CCTV cameras to the Advisory Board of the Public Work Department. And the PSU has almost been finalised as their cost of work was almost half of L&T,” said a source in the office of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
The Delhi Cabinet had given the project its approval in October 2015 and had designated the PWD as its nodal agency for implementing the project.
In June 2016, rate contract was approved by Delhi Work Advisory Board whereby six agencies were empanelled for supply of CCTV cameras. Later that year, PWD Minister Satyendra Jain constituted a committee comprising of officers from urban development department and notice was issued inviting tenders.
The tender was first floated in November 2017, but it didn’t receive a good response due to strict eligibility conditions. The tender was reissued in January after relaxing the criteria.
The estimated of the project is Rs 571.40 crore — the breakup of which is — capital cost of Rs 320.96 plus maintenance cost of Rs 250.44 crore for a period of five years.
The ambitious project of Kejriwal government had landed in controversy after Baijal constituted a special committee to prepare a standard operating procedure for the installation and functioning of CCTV cameras.
Project highlights
1.4 lakh Cameras proposed to be installed under the CCTV project
2,000 Cameras in each constituency
Rs 571.40 crore Estimated cost of the project.