NEW DELHI: Three suspected Jaish-e-Mohammed members apprehended this month revealed that they were planning to target malls in the national capital. While there was no terror attack, that does not mean we are safe, or that popular public places are equipped to handle such a situation. With 50 per cent CCTV cameras installed across the city, not working, the answer is a definite no.
Installed by Delhi Police to instil a sense of security among citizens and to record incidents, 1,903 of the 4,074 CCTV cameras across Delhi are on the blink. This means there are 1,903 blind spots where rapes, muggings and murders can happen and offenders can go unnoticed. Police also found that 20 per cent of these cameras are kaput due to cables being cut during digging.
Delhi Police has claimed in law and order meetings with Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung that all the cameras are working. The cameras were installed through Electronics Corporation of India Ltd (ECIL) in 56 markets, courts and border check posts.
“The installation and maintainence of CCTV cameras was allotted to ECIL, but they are not maintaining nor repairing them, causing problems for us,” said a senior police officer. Commissioner of Police Alok Verma has asked Delhi Police’s Provision and Logistics Department to take up the matter with ECIL. Despite this, police are planning to install 3,921 more CCTV cameras across VVIP routes at a cost of Rs 221.69 crore.
4,074
Total number of CCTV cameras across Delhi
1,093
Number of CCTV cameras on blink
20 %
CCTV cameras kaput due to digging roads By Sumit kumar singh