Delhi govt to install 1.40 lakh CCTV cameras in second phase: CM Arvind Kejriwal

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday said the Delhi government will install 1.40 lakh CCTV cameras in the city in the second phase of the project.He said 2.75 lakh CCTV cameras have been installed in the national capital since the Aam Aadmi Party formed the government.Citing a survey, the chief minister said that Delhi is well ahead of London, New York, Singapore and Paris in terms of CCTV cameras per square mile.We are going to install 1.40 lakh CCTV cameras in phase two of the project.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday said the Delhi government will install 1.40 lakh CCTV cameras in the city in the second phase of the project.

He said 2.75 lakh CCTV cameras have been installed in the national capital since the Aam Aadmi Party formed the government.

Citing a survey, the chief minister said that Delhi is well ahead of London, New York, Singapore and Paris in terms of CCTV cameras per square mile.

''We are going to install 1.40 lakh CCTV cameras in phase two of the project. Public Sector Undertaking Bharat Electronics Limited will install the cameras,'' he said at a press conference.

According to a survey, Delhi ranks number one in 150 cities in the world in terms of CCTV cameras installed per square mile, the chief minister said.

''Delhi has 1,826 CCTV cameras per square mile. London, which has bagged the second spot in the survey, has 1,138 cameras. We are well ahead of London, New York, Singapore, Paris. There is no comparison,'' he said.

Delhi has thrice the number of CCTV cameras in Chennai and 11 times the cameras in Mumbai, Kejriwal said.

There is an improvement in women security situation since the government installed the cameras. Women feel safe. Police get a lot of help in solving crime cases, he said.

Kejriwal also said the Centre had tried to ''impede'' the project and he and party colleagues had to stage dharna in the LG house. “Delhi has left behind cities like London-Washington-Paris and ranks number one globally in terms of CCTV coverage. Ever since these devices have been installed in such great numbers, women’s safety has improved and they feel more secure; has helped police apprehend criminals. “The CM informed that Delhi will have a total of 4.15 lakh CCTV cameras after the installation of 1.40 lakh cameras; 2.75 lakh already installed in the last seven years. London is the second in the world after Delhi in terms of CCTV, Delhi has 1826 cameras per mile and 1138 cameras are installed in London. Delhi’s CCTV coverage is 3 times higher than Chennai, 11 tmes higher than Mumbai,” he said. The CM stated that live view of CCTVs installed in Delhi can be seen from anywhere in the world, complete privacy will be ensured only authorised personnel will have access to the feed. ''In the entire world, Delhi ranks the highest when it comes to the number of CCTV cameras per square miles in a city. Out of a survey conducted covering 150 states, Delhi fared first, with 1,826 CCTV cameras per square mile already. This is followed by London with 1,138 per square mile, showing a vast difference between Delhi and London, despite being ranked number 2. So, we are far ahead of London, New York, Singapore, Paris to the point that there is no comparison.” Noting that CCTVs significantly helped in reducing the crime rate, CM said, ''if we look at our own country, Chennai bags the second rank after Delhi. We have installed thrice the number of CCTV cameras Chennai has, and 11 times what Mumbai has. Ever since these devices have been installed in such great numbers, women’s safety has improved and they feel more secure. Plus, it has significantly helped the police force in their investigation process for a lot of crimes and incidents that end up being caught on these CCTV cameras, making it easier to catch the culprits''.

Notably, the population density of the city of Delhi is 11,312 people per square kilometer against London's 5,701.

“Today, the news I have brought for you is that we are commencing our Phase 2 of the CCTV installation drive, and adding 1.40 lakh more cameras throughout Delhi. After this is completed, Delhi will have a total of 4.15 lakh CCTV cameras. ''Often after installation, many CCTVs get damaged and no one gets to know – and in a time of need, when a crime occurs, we find out that the camera wasn’t even working. But in the case of these modern CCTV cameras we are installing, an alarm will be used to alert the command center in case a camera has been damaged. Additionally concerned operators will also receive messages on their phones alerting the same. So, in case of power cut or vandalism, if a CCTV camera stops working, these alerts will help repair it at the earliest,” the chief minister said.

''30 days worth of recording can be kept in these cameras. Only 3-4 authorised personnel will have access to the live feed, and will be able to view it from anywhere around the world. A command center based in Delhi receives the live feed of all CCTV cameras in Delhi for real-time monitoring. These devices have 4 megapixel cameras with night vision, providing optimum video quality. I sincerely hope that after all CCTV cameras have been installed, the people of Delhi will feel safe,” he added.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)