The Delhi Cabinet on Monday approved a ₹120-crore proposal related to the installation of CCTV cameras in the Tihar, Mandoli and Rohini jails. The move is aimed at ensuring that VIP treatment is not given to inmates on prison premises.

Safety of inmates

The government said the project will ensure safety and security of inmates since there have been incidents of violence which have even resulted in serious repercussions, including murders.

The proposal was approved at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. This comes days after the Expenditure Finance Committee, headed by Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, cleared the proposal.

“This proposal of the Home Department will be executed by the PWD and will include supply, installation, testing and commissioning of CCTV surveillance system, including comprehensive maintenance at Tihar, Rohini and Mandoli prison complexes,” the government said in a statement.

“CCTVs are a very strong support system for the prisons administration and when properly implemented and maintained, there is sufficient evidence to state that it plays a critical role in deterring crimes,” it stated further.

The project will be executed at a cost of ₹120 crore, it added.

The statement also said that the State government’s move to provide such a large sum of money for better functioning of jails and to introduce transparency in them was the first in the country.