PWD proposes Rs 100 crore plan for 50,000 more CCTV cameras in Delhi

The Public Works Department (PWD) has sought Rs 100 crore to install 50,000 CCTV cameras across the national capital, officials said on Thursday.

The city earlier got around 2.8 lakh CCTVs in two phases, under an initiative of the previous AAP government. The work that started in 2020 and is being continued.

“These cameras would be in addition to the already installed 2.8 lakh cameras across all the assembly constituencies. We have started the proposal submission process to the government for necessary financial approvals soon,” a PWD official said.

The announcement comes months after PWD Minister Parvesh Verma, during the first assembly session of the Rekha Gupta-led government in February, stated that the government plans to increase CCTV coverage in the city.

Under the previous plan, 4,000 cameras were to be installed per assembly constituency. However, the BJP alleged that the constituencies represented by its MLAs received fewer cameras.

According to officials, the work on the second phase of CCTV installation is yet to be completed, as around 9,000 cameras are yet to be installed, which the PWD hopes to complete by the end of this year.

“The work of installing 50,000 CCTV cameras will be completed within 12 months from the day financial approval is received from the government,” an official said.

Also Read: Delhi’s ‘Safe City’ drive: Thousands of CCTV cameras defunct

The plan was discussed in a review meeting headed by the chief minister and the PWD minister earlier this week.

The CCTV cameras already installed are maintained by Bharat Electronics Limited, a central government company.

All cameras with night vision are mounted over a pole or a wall, and keep CCTV feed for 30 days, which can be accessed by the PWD, police, and a court.

These cameras are mostly installed in public spaces, like markets, roads, inside residential colonies, and business centers, and are connected to a Central Command Center.

The command center for the cameras is based in the PWD headquarters and receives live feed of all CCTV cameras in Delhi for real-time monitoring.