The installation of CCTV cameras along the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridors in Pimpri-Chinchwad in Pune has faced another setback after 60 CCTV devices were stolen from various locations along the route four months ago.
The cameras were intended to prevent private vehicle encroachment and assist police investigations. The project, costing Rs 65 crore under the Pimpri-Chinchwad Smart City initiative, is now delayed due to security concerns raised by the contractor.
The contractor, responsible for installing the CCTV cameras, has refused to resume work until a robust security system is implemented to prevent further thefts. The work, which was originally scheduled to be completed by June, had already been delayed due to the monsoon. However, the theft incident has brought the project to a standstill once again.
Interestingly, despite the seriousness of the situation, the municipal commissioner has not taken any significant action to address the issue. The Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) and Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML) had collaborated on the installation project to enhance security and ensure proper traffic management, but the CCTV systems have remained non-functional, effectively leaving the project on paper since last year.
A solution is expected to be reached only after a proper security arrangement is made to protect the CCTV systems, without which the contractor has refused to continue work.
The PCMC had launched a Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) at a substantial cost, with a 53-km stretch operational in the city. A total of 480 CCTV cameras were planned to be installed along the BRT routes. The first phase of this project, which includes two CCTV cameras each at the entry points of bus stops, has been completed.
These cameras, both inside and outside the stops, aim to prevent incidents such as thefts involving two-wheelers, four-wheelers, and rickshaws, as well as bus stop-related crimes. However, materials from 60 sites across the city have been stolen, affecting the final stages of installation.
Under the SmartCity initiative, 105 CCTV systems were planned for installation at 101 bus stops in Pimpri-Chinchwad. So far, 72 locations have been completed, but the remaining work has stalled due to recent thefts, leaving the cameras non-operational. In total, nearly 3,000 cameras are planned for installation at various locations, with an estimated cost of Rs 65 crore.
Satish Gavane, head of BRT, PMPML, said, “We are in correspondence regarding the CCTV system on the BRT route. Interim tenders were invited for the security system on this route, and it is being processed. A decision will be taken soon.”
