BENGALURU: Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy wants to install CCTV cameras in every road of Bengaluru as a measure to curb crime rates. Speaking at an event celebrating World Elders’ Day, Kumaraswamy said that if required his government was willing to spend crores of rupees to ensure surveillance on every road to curb crimes, including chain snatching and drug menace.
“Our government will install CCTV cameras in every road of Bengaluru even if it costs us crores of rupees. We will take all measures to implement this at the earliest,” he said adding that he was ready to bring down the crime rate in Bengaluru.
This isn’t the first time that the government has suggested CCTV installation as a means of ensuring safety and maintenance of law and order. In March, this year, the Union ministry for women and child development had approved Rs 667 crore under Nirbhaya funds to provide safety for women in public spaces and transport systems.
In January last year, after a video of a girl being groped and molested by two men in Kammanahalli went viral, the government had decided to install 5,000 CCTVs in sensitive localities of the city. The BBMP too, earlier this year, had floated a Rs 30 crore project to install 400 CCTVs in each ward.
Kumaraswamy also claimed that he has given the city three good officers to maintain law and order. “No land or gambling mafia can threaten me. Nobody can buy me out. I have instructed officials to crackdown on all mafias including drug peddlers who wander around prestigious colleges,” he said. Kumaraswamy, who was addressing senior citizens, also highlighted that his cabinet had approved a pension scheme to provide Rs 1,000 per month to every citizen above the age of 60. “It will be increased to `2,000 in the second year and Rs 3,000 in the third,” he said.