With an objective to appropriately increase surveillance, the Delhi Prisons department is on its way to successfully install nearly 7,000 CCTV cameras across all three of its prisons in the Capital — Tihar, Rohini, and Mandoli — by the end of April this year for better security and a hawk-eye vigil on every movement within jail premises.
As per reports, about 6,967 cameras will be installed in all three complexes (Rohini, Tihar and Mandoli). “In Rohini, about 504 cameras will be installed whereas in Mandoli 1,779 cameras will be added. A large number of cameras will be placed in high-security Tihar Jail which houses dreaded criminals and terrorists. About 4,684 cameras will be placed here,” the data shows.
When asked about the storage feature of CCTVs, an official said the system will be able to store CCTV footage for up to thirty days. “Earlier less than 1,000 CCTV cameras were installed in the prison,” the official said. As per the Tihar authority, it is an ongoing project and as per the latest deadline given by the Public Works Department, the installation will be completed by April 30, 2021. As per officials, the quality of the footage captured on these cameras will be good and it will be able to capture every corner of jails and also it will help prevent any illegal activity inside the prison. Director General (Prisons) Sandeep Goel said, “These CCTVs will increase our surveillance capability manifold. It will also result in greater transparency.”
Delhi has three prison complexes, one at Tihar being one of the largest prison complexes in the world comprising nine central prisons and second is central prison at Rohini Prison complex and the third one is Mandoli prison complex having six central jails. There has been a steady increase in the inmate population over the last few years. Delhi’s currently overcrowded prisons already house about 20,617 inmates, a majority of whom are undertrials. Even after releasing up to 6,000 inmates in emergency conditions to decongest jail, the prisons in the city were overcrowded and exceeded their capacity. Apart from CCTV cameras, the jails are equipped with the advanced security systems mobile jammers, X-Ray scanners, Hand Held Metal Detectors (HHMD), Door Framed Metal Detectors (DFMD), latest weaponry, Quick Reaction Teams and multi-layer security system.
