THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Commercial establishments in the state may soon have to install CCTV cameras on their premises if they want a business licence.
The Kerala Police have submitted a proposal to the government, in a move that aims at enhancing surveillance and security cover across the state and aid them in investigations.
In the proposal they filed before Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan last week, the police sought a legislation making it mandatory for commercial establishments to install CCTV cameras on their premises, with minimum storage capacity of 30 days, failing which they will be denied business licences.
For this, amendments should be made to the Kerala Municipalities Act and Panchayati Raj Act, read the proposal. The police made the proposal following their assessment that CCTV coverage in the state was not up to scratch.
As per their data, there are 6,934 cameras in public places in the state. However, 1,791 of them, or 25.8%, are non-functional.
Speed violation: 80% detection systems defunct
The total cameras include 3,043 installed by the police. Of them, 487 are not working. Of the 2,011 cameras set up by private parties, including commercial establishments, 700 are defunct. As many as 376 of the 1,542 cameras installed by other government departments are non-operational.
That’s not all. As many as 80 out of 100 Speed Violation Detection Systems (SVDS) set up by Keltron across the state are not working, said the police report. These include 26 SVDS that were dismantled for road expansion works, 13 whose loop sensors were damaged in road-related work, 18 that were damaged in accidents and six that developed glitches in the 2018 flood, the report said. Police sources said absence of a robust CCTV surveillance system was affecting crime investigations.
Meanwhile, the police also urged the government to make it mandatory for private establishments to share their footage with officials, if it is required for an investigation. They also proposed to encourage residents’ and traders’ associations to install cameras in public places.
The proposal said the Public Works Department and National Highways Authority of India should incorporate CCTV cameras into basic designs of the road. Local self-government bodies should consider a sponsorship model for installing cameras, it added.