Five months after the state government approved ₹5 crore budget for installing closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras in Mohali, the local police have chalked out a plan for having eyes in the sky, amid the increasing crime incidents in the district.
According to the police, as many as 5,000 cameras will be installed at key points across the district with the help of the local administration to keep a check on the activities of anti-social elements as well as traffic violators. Mohali currently has just 400 CCTVs while its neighbour Chandigarh has 2,200. According to sources, 70% of the existing CCTV cameras in Mohali are lying defunct. The new cameras will be installed in phases.
In Phase 1, which is going to start in a few days, cameras will be set up at 78 chowks in the city. According to officials, 20 of these chowks in the city already have cameras. “We will install at least four cameras at a chowk. The wider chowks can have upto 12 cameras. We have already ordered new cameras to be installed and moreover an order has been placed to repair the defunct cameras at the 20 chowks where cameras are already present,” said an official here.
After Phase 1, the focus will shift to the neighbouring towns, including Zirakpur, Dera Bassi and Kharar. “The planning for installing cameras at Zirakpur, Kharar and Dera Bassi is going on. A survey to finalise key areas outside the city for putting up the cameras is also in progress,” shared a police officer. Other than this, police have also placed orders for automatic number plate readers (ANPR) at Chowks near the entry and exit of the city. These ANPR cameras will capture the number plates of the vehicles.
Explaining the functioning of ANPR, a senior police officer said, “In case of stolen vehicles, we prepare a database and feed it in these ANPR cameras. In case some notorious element is roaming around in a stolen vehicle and the image of the number plate is captured by the ANPR, it will immediately send an alert to the control room which will help us to nab the person immediately,” stated a cop.
Police are also looking to start online challans with the installation of these cameras and streamline traffic flow in the city. With less than 50 traffic cops across Mohali, road users fearlessly violate traffic rules, endangering lives. Navdeep Asija, traffic advisor to the Punjab Government, said, “The fear of getting caught will make traffic violators think twice. Besides, these cameras will play a vital role in maintaining law-and-order in the city”
Mohali senior superintendent of police (SSP) Sandeep Garg said people should also install cameras on their properties, including offices, homes etc for safety. “People usually point the cameras towards their house or office but it is very important that they point at least one camera towards the road.”
