Finally, the Punjab Government’s ambitious project of installing CCTV cameras in the holy city has seen the light of day. Local Bodies Minister Anil Joshi inaugurated the project with the cameras having been installed in the Police Lines area in Amritsar.
The project would be completed in a phased manner and in the first phase, state-of-the-art CCTV cameras would be installed near the Golden Temple, the Durgiana Temple, the Jallianwala Bagh besides various parts of the Amritsar north constituency, including the Civil Lines area.
Police Commissioner Amar Singh Chahal said in the first phase 220 cameras would be installed at 40 different points of the city. According to a survey conducted before the implementation of the project, the consultant company and the police has identified around 450 points where these cameras would be installed. The cameras could capture images from as far as 1 km with great clarity. The project would help to curb crime in the city, he added. Officials of the company hired to install the cameras had claimed that they would complete the first phase within two months. The cameras would also help in keeping an eye on the movements of criminal elements.
Speaking on the occasion Joshi said the objective of the project was to make the city crime-free. He said the safety of millions of tourists coming to the city of the Golden Temple and the residents of holy city, especially women, was of primary concern. The Amritsar Improvement Trust was funding the project which would cost around Rs 4.30 crore. He said a world-famous company was hired by the administration to install the cameras. He said the cameras would be installed outside schools, colleges, busy public areas, the local bus stand, railway station, etc. The project would be completed within eight months.
