Mumbai city police chief Param Bir Singh has managed to push a great number of private establishments, including housing societies, to install CCTV cameras on their premises. In the past two months, these premises have added 50,000 CCTV cameras.
Following the 26/11 terror attack, the government had drawn up a blueprint to improve surveillance in the city at a cost of about Rs 1,000 crore.
Under the first phase of the project, 5,300 cameras were installed by 2016. The government is now in the last leg of launching another 7,000 cameras.
Towards the end of 2020, Singh issued an order saying it was mandatory for housing societies, malls, religious places, petrol pumps, banks, ATMs, shopping complexes, educational institutions, and multiplexes to cover their outer area with CCTV cameras. He said the cameras will help the police detect and curb street crimes.
The police commissioner said it was mandatory for these private establishments to have the surveillance devices on their premises under section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code and non-compliance could invite action. However, officers said there was no need for them to punish anyone.
“The response is very positive… Within two months, more than 50,000 cameras have been installed across the city apart from the existing CCTV surveillance,” said Vishwas Nangre Patil, joint commissioner of police (law and order). “We are aiming at around 3 lakh additional cameras which will cover the entire nook and corner of the city. The crime rate will go down drastically once the system is functional,” he added.
Surjitt Sahani
