After installing around 2,75,000 close circuit television cameras (CCTVs) in the last seven years, the Aam Aadmi Party-led Delhi government is all set to place an additional 1,40,000 such cameras across the length and breadth of the national capital, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced on Friday, 3 December.
Once the additional cameras are installed under the second phase, Delhi will have a total of 4,15,000 CCTVs. But even without this addition, the national capital has the highest average density of surveillance cameras every square kilometer.
"Globally, Delhi has the most number of CCTV cameras per square kilometre. A survey of 150 cities has shown that Delhi has 1,826 CCTV cameras Per square mile, followed by London at 1,138."Arvind Kejriwal, Chief Minister, Delhi
Within the country, Delhi is followed by Chennai which has the second highest density of CCTVs every square kilometer. Maharashtra's capital, Mumbai, however, has ten times lesser the number of cameras than Delhi, Kejriwal said.
He also claimed that the high density of cameras in the city had made women feel safe.
Who Keeps an Eye?
Chief Minister Kejriwal added that the "state-of-the-art" cameras are being procured from the state-owned Bharat Electronics limited.
The CCTVs, he said, send a signal to the command Centre in case there's any malfunction, power-cut or vandalism.
The live-feed from these cameras are relayed to a command Centre for real-time monitoring and recordings are kept for 30 days, which can be accessed by three to four authorized personnel only.
The location of CCTVs are decided in consolation with residents' and market welfare associations and police officers and it is only them who are given access to the feed.
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