Public being misled on CCTV issue deliberately, says L-G

New Delhi: Lieutenant-governor (L-G) Anil Baijal on Sunday wrote to chief minister Arvind Kejriwal that it was unfortunate that general public and media was being misled repeatedly and deliberately that Raj Niwas was delaying the project. Mr Baijal wrote this letter in response to deputy CM Manish Sisodia’s letter alleging he (L-G) was stalling the installation of CCTV cameras in the capital.

Mr Sisodia had said that he along with other ministers would march on Monday to L-G house to express resentment over the delay in the execution of the project.

Raj Niwas said no proposal relating to award of work for installation of CCTV cameras has been received by L-G office. The LG’s office said that a Cabinet note on award of work by PWD for installation of CCTV cameras was yet to be circulated, so the matter is pending with the elected government only. “No directions have been issued by this office to stall or stop the award of work for CCTV tender,” it said.

While the elected government has been talking about installation of CCTVs for the past three years without much progress, Delhi Police, DMRC, DDA, local bodies, market associations, and RWAs have already installed more than two lakh CCTVs.

But Raj Niwas said these cameras were being used without any standard operating procedure (SOP) and regulatory framework. It said, “Unregulated installation of CCTVs doesn’t lead to affective outcome of security and law enforcement, but may encroach upon the privacy of individuals. So to use these cameras effectively for law enforcement, prevention of crime etc, an SOP or regulatory framework for CCTVs is imperative.”

A committee has been set up to frame rules, policies and procedures for installation, operation and monitoring of CCTVs in public places to support public safety, law enforcement, preventing CCTVs from becoming a tool of violating privacy of individuals and to ensure responsibility and accountability of all surveillance camera system activities. The order on setting up the committee nowhere directs that the work of award of CCTV cameras by elected government be stalled. Mr Baijal said the chief minister would agree with the need for putting in place a framework to monitor the working of CCTVs as he himself had complained to him on May 10 about the unfortunate death of a girl in a Delhi government school, where the CCTV cameras footage on the date of the incident was not available.