The closed-circuit TV camera (CCTV) surveillance system installed in several locations to enhance security and monitor traffic and law and order, have been non-operational for several months. For want of maintenance and other technical glitches, a number of CCTVs have become show pieces and are gathering dust.
According to an official, the police installed a little over 103 CCTVs at a cost of ₹2 crore under the Police Modernisation Fund of the Union Government in 2012. Of the 103 cameras, 63 had automatic night vision. The cameras were linked through Wi-Fi mode with the police control room in Gorimedu. The intention was to keep track of criminals and law breakers wherever instances of crime occurred.
In addition, the police had advised traders to install cameras in their establishments. But what is mind boggling is that most CCTVs have not been functional for the last few months, leaving the police and the traders in dilemma. There is lack of clarity on who should pay for the maintenance of CCTVs. The police now depend on footages recorded in surveillance cameras installed by resident welfare associations and private individuals to crack cases of crime such as murders.
“The CCTVs have not been functioning for long and we don’t know how to make them operational. None of the officials even bothered to rectify them. The visuals gathered from the surveillance cameras are a major source of information. The cameras have to be rectified immediately,” said a trader.
The CCTV cameras at the arterial Mahatm Gandhi Road have not been operational because of lack of maintenance.
According to S. Balou, general secretary of Puducherry Traders Federation, “the police have been insisting that traders install cameras in important thoroughfares to ensure fool proof security. But lack of maintenance by the police has been the major constraint. The system is not working on Mahatma Gandhi Road and on the stretch from Hotel Atithi to Muthialpet. Over 25 CCTVs installed in the new bus stand are not working and traders are removing the cameras.”
The cost of maintenance of the CCTVs was high and the police were not ready to give any assistance. If the police installed the surveillance cameras, the traders would take care of the annual maintenance and vice versa, he said.
“Puducherry, which was once a calm and tranquil town, is now becoming a busy location thanks to growth in various sectors and heavy inflow of tourists. It is the duty of the police to keep vigil either by deploying manpower or resorting to installation of latest gadgets. With most of the street lights non-functional, the residents face a constant fear and hence the surveillance cameras should be made functional immediately,” says V. Rajalakshmi, a resident.
