NEW DELHI: Monitoring of Central Public Work Department (CPWD) projects worth Rs 100 crore or more is not being done as the way the government wanted to do it because the authorities haven’t installed close-circuit television (CCTV) cameras at 47 sites yet.
Following the review of the data of web-based project monitoring system (WBPMS) held last month, the Department observed that live feed from only 19 sites were functional while 90 projects should have been on the CCTV camera network.The officials, privy to the matter, said that more than 50 per cent sites are still not on the surveillance camera network.
The CPWD in 2020 has decided to monitor all construction projects worth Rs 100 crore through CCTV system at a central command room. This was to be completed within a month. As per the May 2020 notification, live feeds from the project sites need to be shared with the command centre set up at the headquarters, which is located at Nirmal Bhawan in the national capital.
According to the official note issued earlier this month, CCTV cameras are yet to be installed at 47 projects. There are 14 units where installation is complete but they are not connected to the command centre and live feeds from eight locations are provided ‘once in a while’, the note stated.
The prominent projects which are to be put on the network and connected to the centralised control and centre are Tirupati campus of the Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research, 100 bedded super speciality hospital in Haridwar, income tax building in Bengaluru, building for Institute of Constitutional and Parliamentary Studies in New Delhi, multi-storeyed flats for MPs (New Delhi) and 100-bedded ESIC hospital in Kashmir.
After at least six failed attempts, the concerned officials have again been instructed to put all projects on video surveillance on priority basis.The CPWD has asked all special directors general (SDG), additional directors general (ADG) and other concerned officials to give ‘top priority’ to the matter and make provisions for installation of CCTV cameras at remaining sites.
“It has been decided to monitor ongoing projects worth Rs 100 crore and more on every Monday in March. Therefore, it is once again requested to accord top priority to such projects,” read the memorandum
CPWD cracks the whip on top officials
The CPWD has asked all special directors general (SDG), additional directors general (ADG) and other concerned officials to give ‘top priority' to the matter and make provisions for installation of CCTV cameras at remaining sites.