Delhi to install 50,000 more CCTVs to boost public safety
The department further aims to cover each market and RWA-managed area with approximately 30 to 40 cameras.
The Delhi government's Public Works Department (PWD) has initiated the planning process for the installation of 50,000 additional CCTV cameras across the city, with an aim to enhance public safety, especially for women, officials said on Wednesday.
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta had announced the proposal during her recent budget speech, saying that the government would expand CCTV coverage to improve security and surveillance in the national capital.
“The broader idea behind this next phase is to ensure better access to CCTV footage for police and to create a comprehensive citywide monitoring system,” a senior PWD official said.
Discussions are currently underway between the Delhi Police, the PWD, and the Home Department to finalise the technical and logistical details of the project, the official said.
Since 2018, the department has installed approximately 2.8 lakh CCTV cameras in two phases. The initiative has been implemented with support from resident welfare associations (RWAs) and market trader associations. Each assembly constituency has around 2,000 CCTV cameras under the existing setup.
The department further aims to cover each market and RWA-managed area with approximately 30 to 40 cameras.
"We will improve upon the project by identifying the problems and challenges faced in the previous works; the technical issues and logistics of where to place the cameras will be identified. The target is 50,000 cameras, as announced by the chief minister earlier," the official added.
The existing cameras are maintained by Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), a central government enterprise. A central command centre at the PWD headquarters monitors the live feed from all cameras.
The system stores footage for 30 days, with an additional five to seven days of reserve backup. The feed is accessible to the PWD, police, district magistrates, and courts.
A daily health report is generated for the cameras, indicating their operational status. A private telecom service provider supplies the network connectivity for the surveillance infrastructure.
In March, PWD Minister Parvesh Verma informed the Delhi Assembly that a probe would be launched into the non-installation of CCTV cameras in eight assembly constituencies represented by BJP MLAs during the previous AAP government’s tenure.
He added that installing cameras in these areas would now be taken up on priority.
