Aam Aadmi Party legislators on Tuesday met at Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s residence to discuss the way forward to fulfill the party’s poll promise of creating a network of CCTV surveillance across the Capital.
“Today all the AAP legislators are meeting to plan how to carry forward the work related to the installation of CCTVs according to the wishes of citizens. AAP legislators will seek opinion on this by meeting with the people in bylanes and neighbourhoods [sic.],” AAP spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj tweeted.
Mr. Bharadwaj said the move, which would entail legislators conducting General Body (GB) meetings beginning Wednesday, was intended to ensure that the entire network of 1.4 lakh cameras would be in place by February 2020.
Mr. Bharadwaj told The Hindu that the meetings would seek suggestions on where to instal CCTV cameras, that would need to be ratified by the five-member General Body.
“The network already has 300 CCTV cameras [installed as a pilot project at Mr. Kejriwal’s constituency of New Delhi] and the entire project will be completed by February, 2020,” Mr. Bharadwaj said.
The GB, in addition to the local MLA, will have representatives from a State-owned company, which is executing the project, the PWD, the local police and the local community.
Government sources said Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), a State-owned company, had recently “expressed its readiness” to begin executing the project, which entails the installation of 2,000 CCTV cameras in each of the 70 Assembly Constituencies in Delhi.
‘Self-rule’
In another tweet, the Greater Kailash MLA argued that with locals deciding where these cameras would be installed was evidence of “Swaraj” (self-rule) followed by another tweet in which he stated that the step would go a long way in combating petty crime. “Incidents of snatching and harassment of women have increased. With CCTV cameras, we will be able to exercise control and the police will also get assistance,” he added.
