PWD close to finishing installation of CCTV cameras in city

The work is being done in two phases — 62,691 were installed in the first phase and 64,799 cameras have been placed in the second phase so far. Around 12,000 cameras are yet to be installed.

The Public Works Department (PWD) said on Tuesday that 127,490 CCTV cameras have been installed in the city so far, as part of the government’s plan to install 140,000 cameras before the onset of the monsoon to identify and immediately respond to waterlogging incidents. Officials said 91% of the work has been completed so far.

The initiative was approved in August 2019 with a sanctioned cost of ₹1,184 crore. (HT ARCHIVE)

“The camera installation project is being completed in mission mode before the monsoon. Apart from improving security in public areas, the cameras will also help identify and respond quickly to waterlogging incidents in many areas,” PWD minister Parvesh Verma said.

Officials said the work is being done in two phases — 62,691 out of the proposed 70,000 cameras were installed in the first phase and 64,799 cameras have been placed in the second phase so far. Around 12,000 cameras are yet to be installed.

The initiative was approved in August 2019 with a sanctioned cost of ₹1,184 crore. While the stipulated deadline for completion was July 2020, officials said the work was delayed due to logistical and pandemic-related constraints. The project is likely to be completed before July 31 this year, PWD officials said.

Many of the newly installed cameras are at the identified waterlogging hotspots across the city. These feeds are being integrated with control rooms to enable real-time visual data during heavy rains. This would allow field teams to be dispatched faster, traffic diversions to be implemented with evidence-based planning, and better coordination with the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and Delhi traffic police.

As per the data provided by PWD, CCTVs have been installed in 723 government school buildings in the city under a ₹597.51 crore project sanctioned in September 2018. As per the latest progress report, 99.31% of the work has been completed.