NEW DELHI: Despite spending Rs42.94 crore, Delhi Police’s CCTV surveillance project in the high-security VVIP zone—Lutyens—which was supposed to be completed in 150 days, has been in a limbo since February 2013.
On June 20 this year, the Delhi Police was questioned by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) on the issue. The CAG observed that the police had earlier approved the specifications for picture quality and resolution, video and audio analysis, and other surveillance-related requirements while awarding the contract in February 2013.
This, the CAG said, meant that the Delhi Police was aware of the specifications and condition of the equipment—that had been earlier used for the 2010 Commonwealth Games. The draft audit note accessed by The Sunday Standard reveals that Delhi Police did not examine the specifications at all. It says that there is nothing on record to show that police held technical review of CWG equipment.
The auditors have slammed the police for misrepresenting facts. “The Delhi Police was seeking CWG cameras for its CCTV surveillance system until June 22, 2015, when it concluded that CWG cameras has become obsolete and cameras of latest technical specifications were required urgently. But they have not finalised the revised techno-commercial specifications in the last two years,” CAG said.
Also, the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports refused to release the cameras for re-use despite repeated requests from the police, the CAG found. These together led to the `14.81 crore worth of equipment turning into scrap, and a delay in the project.
Twenty four hours after The Sunday Standard contacted Delhi Police Public Relations Officer Madhur Verma, he reverted, seeking more time to examine records before making a comment.