To check crime, Baghpat village gets CCTV cameras

Village pradhan Ashish Sharma spent money from his own pocket for installation of 14 CCTV cameras for villagers’ security. Order for 8 more cameras has been placed.

MEERUT Khedki gram panchayat in Baghpat has become the first village in the district where CCTV cameras have been installed at multiple locations for villagers’ security.

The entire village felt proud after becoming the first gram panchayat where CCTV cameras had been installed, with the control room in the panchayat ghar, said the village pradhan. (Pic for representation)

Pradhan Ashish Sharma spent money from his own pocket for installation of 14 CCTV cameras and order for 8 more cameras has been placed.

SP of Baghpat Arpit Vijayvargiya attended the inauguration function along with ASP Manish Mishra and other officials on Monday and lauded the efforts of Pradhan Ashish Sharma. He appealed to other pradhans who were present in the function, to replicate the model of Khedki village in their villages to check crime.

Speaking to HT on phone, Pradhan Ashish Sharma said that he decided to install CCTV cameras in his village after a conversation with the SP a few months ago. “While interacting with a group of pradhans, thye SP suggested they should do something to check crime in villages and CCTV cameras could be an effective deterrent,” he said.

Sharma said that he explored possibilities for getting fund from the District Panchayat Raj Office (DPRO) but no such fund was available. He then decided to do it on his own and spoke to a contractor in Baghpat who deals in cameras.

On being asked about how much he paid for cameras, Sharma refused to reveal the amount.

Sharma said that DPRO of Baghpat Amit Tyagi had assured him to send his recommendation to the district administration and the state government to release fund to support the project.

Sharma said that his efforts to cover the remaining area of the gram panchayat would be continued and for additional funds he could approach a few well-off families in the village.

He said the entire village felt proud after becoming the first gram panchayat where CCTV cameras had been installed, with the control room in the panchayat ghar.

Khedki gram panchayat has a population of 3,000 which receives a budget of approximate ₹3 lakh per year to carry on development and other work. Sharma said that he had received two instalments of ₹80,000 in this financial year, out of the total four per year.

DPRO Amit Tyagi didn’t respond to telephone calls made to seek his version.