Pune: More than half of the CCTV cameras installed by the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) under the Smart City initiative and other schemes remain disconnected from its integrated command and control centre (ICCC), hampering surveillance across the twin cities.Over 5,000 cameras were installed in various parts of the city, but around 2,500 of them are yet to be linked to the ICCC, a civic official said.“Many of these cameras have been non-functional after MSEDCL snapped the power supply because the contractors failed to pay electricity bills. The civic body, to address the issue, has now started transferring the power connections from the contractors to PCMC’s name,” a senior civic official said.“The power supply was the main reason for the cameras being non-operational. Most of it has been resolved, and the remaining 200 to 300 connections will be shifted within the next two weeks. Once done, these cameras will be integrated with the ICCC,” said Vijay Kanhan, project management officer at Pimpri Chinchwad Smart City Limited (PCSCL).He said that while the cameras are not connected to the ICCC, their data is stored in the local storage devices and can be accessed anytime.In Nov last year, MSEDCL also disconnected the power supply to the ICCC office due to non-payment of the electricity bill by the private contractor responsible for running the centre. The civic body later paid the bill to restore the connection.Kanhan further said theft of CCTV camera batteries and other equipment has emerged as another major hurdle.”Nearly 300 theft cases have already been registered with the police, including incidents reported on main roads and even at busy junctions like Kokane Chowk,” he said.The issue was highlighted to the Pimpri Chinchwad police through multiple letters.The Pimpri Chinchwad police, who also depend on these cameras in the absence of an independent and adequate surveillance network, are facing difficulties in crime investigations due to the issue.Activists and residents have expressed strong concern over the long-pending issue, stating that it has remained unresolved for more than a year.”Even if some cameras are technically operational, the fact that they are not connected to a dedicated surveillance centre makes them ineffective. Over 50% of the cameras are practically useless,”a resident said.Wakad resident Vikas Shinde said while the intention behind installing CCTV cameras was good, their purpose was defeated because most of them did not function at all. “The civic body should not wait for an incident where footage is crucial to find out that the cameras did not capture it. It must take proactive measures to ensure all cameras are functional,” he said.
