The century-old University of Mysore (UoM) has taken up the major task of securing its 739-acre sprawling Manasagangotri campus by installing 700 high-definition closed circuit television cameras (CCTVs). The entire campus will soon be under camera surveillance as the work to put in cameras has taken off.
Though some locations of the campus had been already under camera surveillance, they are said to be inadequate considering the size of the campus and new facilities that have come up.
The campus, located in the heart of the city, is one of the biggest in the State. Kukkarahalli Lake, a major lung space and bird habitat, is considered a jewel of Manasagangotri.
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Despite having private security for guarding its properties and patrol teams going around the campus in the night, the University authorities felt the need for camera surveillance and set up a centralised control room with dedicated staff for monitoring the camera footage.
Vice-Chancellor G. Hemanth Kumar told The Hindu over phone from Indore that the camera surveillance was proposed for keeping the campus safe.
“The places where the cameras have to be installed had been identified and the agency installing the cameras is on the job. In less than one or two months, the installation work will be completed,” he added.
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Prof. Kumar, who is in Indore on an official visit, said the footage retrieved from the cameras will be monitored round-the-clock by the staff appointed for the purpose. “This will keep the campus protected from any untoward incidents.”
The area abutting Kukkarahalli Lake is spread across 239 acres. The lake environs attract hundreds of walkers in the mornings and evenings.
The University has 63 PG departments offering 76 postgraduate programmes with more than 1.20 lakh UG, PG, M.Phil, and Ph.D students. There are 11 PG departments with national research facilities where Indian and international students pursue research. The students also include those pursuing courses in the PG campuses of Mandya, Hassan and Chamarajnagar.
Manasagangotri campus is also a hub for international students with students from about 63 countries pursuing various courses and doing research.
This could be one of the biggest exercises of installing surveillance cameras in Mysuru by a public institution.
The Mysuru City Police have installed around 50-plus cameras for identifying traffic offences and law and order management.
The visuals from the cameras are monitored at the centralised command room set up in the office of Police Commissioner. The real-time images help the police in catching those flouting the traffic rules on camera.