Seven years after the 26/11 terror attack, Mumbai on Monday finally got a CCTV network that will help Mumbai Police enhance security. The first phase of the ambitious 6,000-camera CCTV network was launched by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, in which 1,381 cameras for South Mumbai went online. Installed at 434 locations, the first phase will cover the area from Colaba at the southern tip to Worli in Central Mumbai.
Fadnavis said the CCTV network will boost crime prevention and aid in quick responses to emergencies. “There will be 100 per cent command and control system integration after all three phases are completed. With the data integration, we will be able to evolve a comprehensive strategy to tackle crime,” he said while flagging off the project at a city hotel.
The CM also promised to give Mumbai 100 per cent CCTV cover once the project is completed in October 2016. “By next year’s 26/11 anniversary, the entire city will be under digital camera surveillance,” he said, adding the project implemented by Larsen & Toubro is expected to cost around Rs 949 crore.
Fadnavis said the CCTV network was intrinsic to his government’s objective of transforming Mumbai into a smart city. “An integral part of a smart city is that it should be safe. If a city is not safe, it cannot be smart,” he said, adding that gradually, all important cities in the State including Pune, Nagpur and Nasik will be brought under CCTV surveillance.
He said the data feed from the CCTV cameras will be sent to the Mumbai Police and traffic police headquarters at the Worli command centre, and technologies like Global Information System (GIS), Global Positioning System (GPS) will be integrated into the network. The system will allow Mumbai Police to use features like automatic number plate capture, face detection and data analysis, and will act as a ‘force multiplier’ for the city police force.
Admitting to delays in implementing the project, Fadnavis said L&T had completed the first phase within the time stipulated after the contract was awarded in February 2015. For the project, the firm has collaborated with leading US-based security company Verint Systems for command and control and video management, and with CMS and MTNL as well. Verint’s SMC platform will help integrate various databases and deliver an integrated video surveillance project to Mumbai Police.
KP Bakshi, Additional Chief Secretary (Home) said the number of CCTV cameras in the first phase has increased from 1,200 to 1,381 after the Bombay High Court asked for 63 cameras to be installed inside the Sessions Court. He said additional cameras were also installed in coast-facing areas like the Mumbai Port Trust and Girgaum Chowpatty.
The Cong-NCP government led by Vilasrao Deshmukh was in power when 26/11 terror attacks took place, and the division of portfolios between the alliance partners appeared to delay a consensus on the implementation of the CCTV project. As per the power-sharing agreement between the two parties, the Urban Development Department was with the Congress while the Home portfolio was with the NCP. Tenders for the CCTV project were floated on four occasions in the last seven years, but were cancelled at the last minute due to hitches.
