Even as Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president and Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar questioned the effectiveness of the State Home Ministry headed by party leader R.R. Patil in the wake of the recent minor blasts in Pune, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar came to his rescue, saying the Home Ministry was capable of dealing with the situation.
“Mr. Sharad Pawar, as the head of the party, points out our mistakes, but that doesn’t mean the Minister will be replaced,” he told reporters here on Sunday.
On Saturday, Mr. Sharad Pawar said the State was witnessing repeated attacks and that it was the responsibility of the leadership in the Home Ministry to control them.
CCTV cameras
After reviewing the investigation process with top police officers, Mr. Ajit Pawar announced that Rs. 30 crore would be allotted for installing CCTV cameras in the city.
‘Done within a month’
“The process should be complete within a month,” he stated. A committee consisting of police and administrative officers had been formed to oversee the process. While Rs. 10 crore would be provided by the State government, similar amount would come from the MP and MLA funds. The municipal corporations of Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad would fund the rest.
Though the police are still studying the CCTV footage gathered at the blast, it has been revealed that two of the CCTVs at the locations were not functioning, which might lead to loss of vital clues.
Even after two years since the German Bakery blast that claimed 17 lives, there is no network of CCTVs in the city.
