The Delhi government has started the process of procuring CCTV cameras for all buses run by the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) and under the cluster scheme. In June, the Delhi Cabinet had approved the transport department’s proposal to authorise DTC to call tenders and sign the agreement for installation of CCTV cameras in 6,350 DTC and cluster buses, utilising the Nirbhaya Fund, to be provided by the central government. The project is estimated to cost about Rs 140 crore. The department has now floated tenders to engage a consultancy firm, which will help in procurement, installation and surveillance of CCTV cameras in buses.
The decision aims to make public transport safer for women. Apart from CCTV cameras, there would be panic buttons installed in all DTC and cluster buses. Three cameras would be installed in each bus, apart from a screen for telecasting the camera feed. The department proposes to access and view video file in real time from any location for a particular camera in a bus for which alert is generated through the “panic button”.
The department plans to procure state-of-the-art cameras that are fixed or with pan-tilt-zoom capability. It also plans to have cameras that are ‘ruggedized’ to make them vandal proof. The installation and maintenance of the cameras would be for five years as part of the agreement with the consultant.
