Delhi government to conduct audit of over 2.6 lakh CCTV cameras installed in city

New Delhi: The Delhi government is going to conduct an audit of more than 2.6 lakh CCTV cameras installed by the PWD during the previous AAP regime in the city, officials said on Sunday.

The principal secretary of Public Works Department (PWD) has sought an audit of the CCTV cameras to ensure their physical verification and functional status, they said.

PWD Minister Parvesh Verma recently said in the Delhi Assembly that a probe would be conducted into why CCTV cameras were not installed in eight constituencies represented by BJP MLAs during the previous AAP government. He had also said that CCTV cameras would be installed as a priority in these eight constituencies.

A senior Delhi government officer said that the PWD implemented a project to install 2.80 lakh CCTV cameras in various phases and presently 2.63 lakh such cameras were shown installed in records in different assembly constituencies.

The audit will physically verify the CCTV cameras installed to cross-check the figures in the records and ascertain whether they were functional or not. The comprehensive exercise will also note the image quality, coverage area of these cameras and their integration with other surveillance systems, the officer said.

"This evaluation will help determine the effectiveness of the cameras in enhancing public safety and supporting law enforcement agencies like the Delhi Police," he stated.

The PWD is likely to engage a private firm to conduct the audit and submit a report. The audit report will help the PWD take corrective measures, ensuring the CCTV project meets its objectives, the officials said.

The audit will also analysed the data management of the CCTV feeds to ensure they are compatible to the data protection and privacy laws. The audit report is expected to be ready in nearly two months after selection of a suitable IT firm, the officials added.