123 Kolkata: With police worried about multiple robberies, snatchings, and kepmaris reported in central and south Kolkata in which officers struggled to find CCTV footage, cops have initiated the tender process to install 300 CCTV cameras to plug the blind spots in the city. TOI had reported earlier on this decision taken by Lalbazar in Jan.
A total of Rs 93 lakh was earmarked for this purpose, with multiple guards allotted five to 12 cameras each, the funding coming from the Nirbhaya-II project. Sources said certain stretches, believed to witness huge volumes of traffic at certain times of the day, will be covered by the new cameras. For example, the stretch on EM Bypass, between Salt Lake Stadium and Maa Flyover, will see 11 new CCTV cameras set up. "The idea is to cover every important corner of the crossings so that we can take quick actions based on the footage," said an officer.
While these are primarily traffic-related cameras, they will also be set up to help control crime. Commissioner of police Manoj Verma has already indicated that he wants to set up hundreds of new cameras on Kolkata's roads, keeping the crime perspective in mind rather than merely the traffic perspective. The new cameras will be 4K or higher IP-based surveillance cameras with a 256 GB Micro SD Card. "This time, we found that most cameras are faced towards the arterial roads, and the smaller roads and bylanes do not have CCTV cover. This time, the cameras will focus on these smaller roads. Though the main purpose of these cameras will be to track traffic violations, the moment we cover all sides, it will also help track down crime and help in maintaining law and order," said an officer.
Lalbazar currently claims that there are more than 5,500 CCTV cameras in the city. However, some cops complain that during investigations, it is often found that many cameras are not functioning. Therefore, the responsibility for maintaining the cameras in the second phase of the Nirbhaya project will be given to the contractor who wins the bid.
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