Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) will soon be inviting tenders for installing 1,000 CCTV cameras across the city. The detailed project report (DPR) by Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) as a part of Smart City initiative also envisions an Integrated Transport and Mobility Administration Centre (ITMAC) for better coordination between different agencies. SMC has appointed PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) as technical consultants for the project. Tata Consulting Engineers would be preparing the architectural plan for the ITMAC building.
“All emergency and utility services including fire, ambulance and transport would be brought to one building so that there is better coordination between them,” municipal commissioner Milind Torwane said. The city police already have installed over 500 CCTV cameras under their safe city project. But this project aims at helping the SMC keep a direct watch on utility services in different parts of the city. SMC would get a grant of Rs 500 crore from the central government under the Smart City initiative. The CCTV project should begin within another six months for which the central government has already released Rs 200 crore.
CCTV cameras would help SMC identify areas facing problems of drain overflow, broken roads, non-functional streetlights, etc. Potholes on roads and other issues like tree fall leading to traffic jams can also be tackled more efficiently.
