Equipment worth Rs 20 lakh ‘stolen’
Bijendra Ahlawat
Tribune News Service
Faridabad, October 7
The ongoing installation work of CCTV cameras under the Smart City project in Faridabad is faced with a unique hurdle. Equipment and hardware meant for 72 CCTV cameras costing Rs20 lakh has been “stolen” from 12 junctions in the city in the past one-and-a-half month. The installation work of CCTVs has been on since July 1. The Faridabad Smart City Limited (FSCL) proposes to install a total of 1,856 cameras by December end, this year.
CCTV equipment, comprising 42 AH(Amp hour) batteries, 12 UPS of 1 and 2 KVA, 20 switches, 20 SMPS(switched power supply) and 20 ODC (offshore data centre) was stolen from many locations between August 18 and September 19, this year, as per reports.
The equipment had been installed at the base of the poles at as many as 12 junctions located on the Bypass Road and at Chimnibai Dharamshala in NIT area of the city here. Though a formal complaint had been lodged with the police, no arrest or recovery has been made so far, it is reported.
“While total 381 cameras (CCTVs) have been installed till October 7, 2019, in the city under the project, the number of functional ones has been reduced to 219, as 72 of these have gone non-functional due to the loss of the base equipment,” says a senior FSCL official.
The FSCL plans to install another 1,475 cameras in the city by December 31, this year. These include 726 fixed type cameras, 151 360° cameras, 498 cameras capable of automatic number plate reading (vehicles), 88 cameras for RLVD (red light violation detection) evidence, and 12 PTZ (pan tilt zoom) cameras under the ongoing Smart City project.
The CCTV coverage will be controlled and managed by the Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC), which will gather, analyse and process all information and data available and disseminate the results to various departments.
