In a bid to make the streets and thoroughfares of the City safer, the district administration has mooted plans for installation of CCTV cameras at major market places and strategic locations
The initiative will be undertaken in a participatory mode involving all administrative mechanisms like the Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC), Commissionerate police, Commercial Tax Department, Bazaar Committees and prominent persons of the localities concerned. The objective is to keep a tab on the susceptible and sensitive zones of the City, which would help making crime control and prevention mechanisms more effective. It would also assist in effecting quick response to disaster, crime or other situations.
As per the plans, CCTV units would be put up along the markets and busy thoroughfares like Buxi Bazaar, Choudhury Bazaar, Naya Sarak, Badambadi and Link Road. Major shopkeepers, banks and other organisations who have CCTV units in their establishments would be asked to install a camera for monitoring the happenings outside the shops.
“This will, hopefully, prove a deterrent to crime and anti-social activities while enabling law enforcing agencies to identify the culprits immediately after a crime is committed.
The Mayor has convened a meeting of all stakeholders from Bazaar and Puja Committees, Commercial Tax Department, Vendors associations along with police and district administration on Friday to discuss the issue and prepare the roadmap,” Collector Girish SN said.
The administration and CMC have also announced compulsory usage of Odia in sign and display boards and name plates in the millennium city from April 1, which is celebrated as Utkal Divas.
Organisations or establishments __ be they public or private; commercial, official or educational __ will have their sign-boards in Odia. They would be allowed to use any other language along with Odia, but others should be secondary to the State language. Violators would invite penal action as per the law.
“Wide publicity and sensitisation programmes have been lined up to ensure total compliance to the date. Friday’s meeting would also take up the issue as all stakeholders would be available under one platform,” Girish added.