A year on, CCTV cameras installed only in 5 villages

Bijendra Ahlawat

Tribune News Service

Faridabad, March 28

Only five villages in the district have got CCTV cameras under ‘Operation Sanjay’ even one year after its launch. The programme aims at bringing most of the rural and urban areas under CCTV camera surveillance.

Madalpur in Ballabgarh subdivision is the fifth village in the district where 16 CCTV cameras were installed last week. Ashta Modi, DCP (NIT), inaugurated the cameras, claims a spokesperson for the Police Department. Earlier CCTV cameras were installed at Chandawali, Machhghar, Newada and Mirzapur villages. While the gram panchayats have to bear the cost of installation of CCTV cameras, the police will be monitoring these. “We have been motivating village panchayats and residents welfare associations (RWA) to install CCTV cameras in their areas so that a close watch could be kept on the movement of anti-social elements,’’ says Hanif Qureshi, Commissioner of Police. He adds that 26,000 CCTV cameras have been installed in rural and urban areas so far. He admits that the pace of the work on the project needs to be stepped up as the department has set a target of installing cameras in 116 villages by year end.

“The department will also ensure that all cameras installed are working properly and have the capacity to record footage of a minimum period,’’ Qureshi adds. “The cost of installation of CCTV cameras could run into several lakhs of rupees. As the state government is yet to sanction a specific budget for the project, village panchayats will find it difficult to install cameras. Perhaps this is the reason for the slow progress of the project,’’ claims a district official. “There are still a large number of points in the city, especially parts of Greater Faridabad, where CCTV cameras have not been installed,’’ says AK Gaur, a social activist. Chandawali was the first village in the district where the CCTV cameras were installed in June last year.