MCD mulls installing CCTV cameras in women-only parks

Installation of CCTV cameras in the women-only parks of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi was discussed in a recent meeting and the civic body's horticulture department may soon start working on it, officials said on Monday.

''The mayor has given instruction to install CCTV cameras in the women-only parks to provide a safe and secure environment to women and children who visit these parks,'' an official said.

It will also help in controlling illegal activities and crime against women that often get reported in public parks, the official added.

The MCD's horticulture department may soon start working on installing CCTV cameras in these parks being built across its 250 wards, another official told PTI.

According to a report by the National Crime Records Bureau, Delhi recorded the highest cases of crime against women among the 19 metropolitan cities in 2022.

The city witnessed a 1.25 per cent year-on-year increase in crime against women to 14,158 cases from 13,982 in 2021, the data showed.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had in July last year urged Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena to take stock of the rising crime against women in the city and engage the police after a young woman was murdered in a park in south Delhi.

''We often get complaints from locals regarding illegal activities, including drug consumption, in public parks. If the MCD installs CCTV cameras in these areas, it will definitely help in curbing the menace,'' a Delhi Police official told PTI.

Currently, the MCD has 15 to 20 women-only parks operational in the city and the civic body is in the process of building a total of about 250 such parks in each of its wards across the city, an MCD official said.

The corporation is yet to prepare a plan for installing CCTV cameras but may soon come up with a proposal on the matter, an official added.

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