NEW DELHI: It may have been with India Gate in mind that the courts pulled up police in the capital for non-functional
CCTV cameras, but around 5,000 are actually estimated to be out of order in markets like Lajpat Nagar and Sarojini Nagar and other places.
Madhur Verma, DCP (PRO),
Delhi Police, reasoned that the process of repairing inoperative cameras was an ongoing process. “They tend to break down due to many factors, but we immediately inform the owner agency,” Verma said. “In every district, an additional DCP monitors the functioning of cameras under their jurisdiction. We created the Nigahen scheme to rope in the market associations and
RWAs to install
cameras, which are also being monitored by Delhi Police.”
There are, by police numbers, 2.01 lakh CCTVs across the city Delhi, of which 4,074 cameras have been installed by the cops. The rest have been put up by private individuals, RWAs and government bodies. The cops said they rely on cameras installed by market associations for day-to-day surveillance. However, these are low-resolution CCTV cameras often put up by shops outside their premises or those at market intersections.
At Lajpat Nagar, TOI found 15 out of 20 cameras not functioning. Police claimed digging in the area for the metro construction had snapped the wires for these cameras and they are yet to be repaired. Vinod Gupta, vice-president of the traders’ association there, said that business establishments had used their own funds to installed 63 cameras and handed over their operational control to the cops. The control room, however, appeared to be unmanned and locked.
Gupta said, “We have broached the issue with local political leaders and installation of more cameras is being considered, but the process is too slow. We were told that the MLA-LAD funds would be used for additional cameras, but the plan is yet to see the light of day.” He added that market has over 1,000 private CCTV systems installed by shops that can prove helpful should the need arise.
At Sarojini Nagar market, TOI found that some of the points that were earlier used to hold the CCTV cameras were empty. Some of the remaining cameras pointed at the ground or were blocked by hoardings and plastic sheets. Though the cameras installed by
New Delhi Municipal Council and Delhi Police were operational, they only covered some pockets of the market.
“We have public-address systems and manual patrols that substitute for the cameras. During public festivals like Diwali, I-day and Republic Day, we hire 40-50 cameras and install them around the market,” said Kuldeep Sahni, president of the market association of Sarojini Nagar.
Police officers were satisfied that the functional cameras focused on the entry and exit points. “This means that anyone entering the market area has to go through our scrutiny and he or she is recorded on our cameras,” said an officer. “We have been encouraging the shop owners to put up cameras outside their shops.”
Representative image.
