Police finding it difficult to maintain hawk’s eye
Ajay Raina
JAMMU, Oct 13: Notwithstanding the fact that winter capital of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir always remain on the radar of the anti-national elements and hawk’s eye is required to be maintained by the security forces, almost all the Close Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras installed in Jammu are lying non-functional during the past nearly two years. Moreover, there are remote chances of making them functional even in near future as repeated tenders have failed to yield the positive results.
Around 41 CCTV cameras were installed at all the vital locations of Jammu including General Bus Stand, Railway Station and busiest crossings etc several years back and they played crucial role in maintaining hawk’s eye in order to foil nefarious designs of the anti-national elements. Moreover, these cameras were of immense help for the Jammu and Kashmir Police in preventing and solving the heinous crime besides detecting violations of Traffic Rules and Motor Vehicle Act.
However, about two years back these CCTV cameras developed technical snag one after another and since then all are lying non-functional as a result of which security forces are finding it difficult to maintain vigil on the activities of anti-national and anti-social elements, official sources told EXCELSIOR.
“Several attempts were made to install new CCTV cameras by properly floating tenders but the steps failed to yield the positive results for the reasons best known to the authorities concerned”, they said while disclosing that CCTV cameras generally have the life of some years and they cannot be repaired.
“It is a matter of serious concern that while Jammu and Kashmir Police is asking the business establishments and citizens to install CCTV cameras outside their respective premises so as to identify the anti-social elements in case of any mishappening but when it comes to maintaining vigil through third eye they continue to maintain non-serious approach”, sources said, adding “the CCTV cameras having interconnectivity and proper control room are of utmost importance for maintenance of proper vigil in each and every vital location of the winter capital of the Union Territory”.
In the absence of its own network of CCTV cameras the police most of the times depends on the cameras installed by the businessmen and people outside their respective premises in solving the crime incidents. Excelsior has come across a number of snatching incidents which could be solved by the police only when the people of that particular area shared footage of the cameras installed by them outside their residences.
When contacted, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Police Control Room Jammu Kulbir Singh admitted that the CCTV cameras installed across the Jammu district and also at strategic locations are non-functional. “New CCTV cameras will be installed under Smart City Project”, he added.
It is pertinent to mention here that Jammu Smart City Limited in its 7th Board of Directors meeting held under the chairmanship of Divisional Commissioner Jammu Sanjeev Verma on October 5, 2020 accorded approval to the installation of CCTV cameras. But, no time-frame can be specified for the same in view of lengthy procedure required to be followed by the concerned authorities.
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