98% of CCTV cameras at Punjab tehsils defunct

Nearly 98 per cent of the closed-circuit television cameras (CCTVs) installed in sub-registrar/joint registrar offices across Punjab to monitor public-dealing works and check illegal practices in property registrations are non-functional.

This was revealed during a random check of the CCTV cameras installed at all 180 sub-registrar/joint registrar offices across the state. The cameras were found working at the Ropar, Amritsar and Dhuri offices, while those at the 177 other facilities were out of order. As many as 720 CCTV cameras, four at each office, were installed in April 2023 at a cost of Rs 2 crore to provide real-time access of public-dealing works to top Revenue Department officials in Chandigarh and Deputy Commissioners (DCs)/Sub-Divisional Magistrates (SDMs) in respective districts.

Get these working by Jan 31, DCs told

• Additional Chief Secretary (Revenue) Anurag Verma has asked DCs to hold daily surprise checks and ensure CCTV cameras are made operational by Jan 31
• Possibility of cameras being turned off by office staff being looked into by top officials, say sources; role of SDMs over lack of monitoring also under the radar

Additional Chief Secretary (ACS), Revenue, Anurag Verma has taken a dim view of the lapse and asked the DCs to ensure that these cameras are made operational by January 31. He has further directed them to carry out daily surprise checks at these offices based on the CCTV feed. While revenue officials are tight-lipped about the reasons behind the non-functional cameras, sources say the possibility of these being turned off deliberately by office staff was being looked into by top officials.

Further, the possibility of poor Internet connectivity or irregular power supply to the IP-based cameras was being examined. The role of respective SDMs for lack of regular monitoring was also under the scanner, it is learnt.

Verma, who has personally been monitoring works at the registrar offices, said the CCTVs were installed to monitor transparency in the registration of sale deeds and other related documents and ensure that the visitors were not harassed.

This comes days after the ACS sought an explanation from the sub-registrars of Hoshairpur, Mohali, Jalandhar and Amritsar for harassment caused to people by turning up late for work. The action follows complaints of inconvenience caused to people visiting their offices for the registration of sale deed and other documents.

The ACS had asked the DCs to ensure that the designated officers showed up at their offices at 9 am and they weren’t assigned additional works.