Soon, CCTVs must in all residential colonies

In the wake of rising incidents of crime inside upscale housing societies, the Gurgaon police are planning to make it mandatory for all condominiums to install CCTV cameras at all entry and exit gates.

In the wake of rising incidents of crime inside upscale housing societies, the Gurgaon police are planning to make it mandatory for all condominiums to install CCTV cameras at all entry and exit gates.

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The Millennium City has about 1,100 hi-rise towers in about 250-gated communities. Majority of the gated communities such as those located in sectors 55, 56 and 57 do not have CCTV cameras installed.

“We plan to clamp Section 144 of CrPC making it mandatory for the RWAs or the maintenance agencies of gated communities to install cameras,” said Alok Mittal, commissioner of police, Gurgaon.

“We will give sufficient time for compliance of the order. However, those found violating the order would be booked under Section 188 of the IPC (Indian Penal Code) and penalised accordingly,” he added.

As per Para I of Section 188, the punishment for violating government order is imprisonment for one month or a fine of Rs 200 or both. According to Para II, the punishment is imprisonment for six months or a fine of Rs 1,000 rupees or both.

In both the cases, the crime is cognizable and bailable in nature and can be tried by any magistrate.

The police were forced to mull the move following the recent kidnapping of a four-year-old boy by a maid and her husband from Eldeco Mansion on Sohna Road.

Though the police were able to track down the kidnappers in less than two hours of the crime with the help of a mobile phone, what was worrying for them was that they didn’t have the photos of the duo as the gated locality did have cameras installed on the gates.

“The parents were fortunate as they had accidentally left behind a mobile phone in the car in which the duo kidnapped their son. Otherwise, it could have been very difficult for us to trace the child as we didn’t even have the picture of the maid. We were shocked to know that such an upscale locality did not have cameras installed at the gates,” said Mittal.