CCTV project: AAP claims ‘motivated campaign’

Under fire from several quarters over an impending project revolving around the installation of lakhs of CCTV cameras in the Capital, the Delhi government on Monday blamed “big private players” for allegedly helming “a motivated campaign” to spread misinformation regarding it.

In a strongly-worded statement issued, the government termed “shocking and sad” the level of discourse on the CCTVs project which it decried had been “reduced to a non-serious and improper debate” by using “absurd terms like these cameras cannot be installed in bedrooms.” “Such expressions are a figment of imagination of pervert minds who are taking this debate to ridiculous levels and do not merit a response,” the government said in its response to “certain views expressed in public domain about the ongoing preparation for the installation of CCTV cameras.”

“The elected government welcomes a healthy debate on any of its programme/policy that it wants to implement in public welfare...In case of CCTV cameras in residential areas project, it has, however, been noticed that vested interests are making desperate attempts to spread misinformation through a motivated campaign, giving rise to reasonable suspicion that big private players, who have lost the tender bid to a public sector enterprise could be behind the entire mischief,” the statement said.

‘Ill informed doubts’

“Ill informed doubts” it alleged, were being spread to the effect that the installation of CCTV cameras could “lead to breach of privacy and “alarming terms like surveillance” had been linked to the project “without any basis and evidence” in order to “delay and derail this project.”