Rs 2.43 cr contract to repair Panchkula CCTV cameras

Panchkula, July 4

Waking up from a deep slumber, the local Municipal Corporation has decided to make around 400 closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras functional all year round. The MC has allocated the work of one-time replacement and repair of these cameras at a cost of Rs 2.43 crore. The civic body will also hire a company for their annual maintenance, which will cost it Rs 89 lakh.

“We have allocated the work of one-time replacement and repair of CCTV cameras at a cost of Rs 2.43 crore. Now, we have decided to allocate a contract to a private company to get the CCTV cameras repaired every year at a cost of Rs 89 lakh. For the first year, the contract will continue till August 2025, and will be renewed on a yearly basis,” said Mayor Kulbhushan Goyal today.

The cameras installed in marketplaces, roads and other places have been non-functional since November 2022.

Sources in the MC said, “The officials concerned, despite being aware of the defunct cameras, have failed to make these functional for the past one and a half years. In fact, Mayor Kulbhushan Goyal had directed the officials to prepare estimates, get them cleared and begin the work, but to no avail.”

The MC, during a meeting of the Finance and Contract Committee (F&CC) in June had decided to spend Rs 2.43 crore on one-time repair and replacement of the non-functional and defunct CCTV cameras. The Mayor had said, “The corporation is spending Rs 2.43 crore on repair and replacement of the faulty CCTV cameras.”

The approval for the work was given by F&CC in June. Officials said as the cameras had been non-functional for a long time, their parts were either missing or damaged. Some cameras, which are in really bad shape, had to be replaced with new ones. As such, the MC decided to get these repaired all at once at a cost of Rs 2.43 crore.

The Mayor had warned the officials concerned to get the work done or face action.

The issue of defunct CCTV cameras has been discussed during numerous meetings. Officials and the Mayor had stressed their maintenance as the defunct cameras were defeating the entire purpose of their installation.