Saturday, Apr 27, 2024 | Last Update : 06:41 AM IST
District jails in Maharashtra to acquire 500 CCTVs
The state home department has so far installed 1,200 CCTV cameras in major jails, but all district jails are yet to get the facility.
Mumbai: In order to beef up the security of prisons at district level, the Maharashtra home department has called for the installation of at least 500 CCTV camera units and other modern surveillance facilities. It has also asked the district jails to seek funds from the District Planning and Development Council (DPDC) if necessary to acquire the facility.
The state home department has so far installed 1,200 CCTV cameras in major jails, but all district jails are yet to get the facility.
“We still need 500 CCTV cameras to be installed in prisons. The latest decision by the home department will enable the district jail authorities to seek funds from DPDC. They can of course demand funds from the state government depending on the requirement,” Dr Bhushankumar Upadhyay, DG (prisons) said.
Speaking about the cost of installing the CCTV cameras, the official said that it would depend on the requirement. “The government will provide, no matter what the cost of the installations necessary for the security of the jails,” he said.
The government had launched the initiative to install CCTV cameras in all prisons some time back. It also included the installation of high intensity phone jammers, walkie-talkies for security personnel, metal detectors etc.
Some of the jails would also have CCTV cameras with better resolution than the normal ones depending on the budget available for them.
In January this year, it approved the procurement of 222 Self Loading Rifles (SLRs) for prisons. The state has a total of 50 prisons of which nine are central jails. In all they house 25,000 to 30,000 inmates.
Meanwhile, the state government has also decided to connect crime criminal tracking network system (CCTNS) with the courts. All the police stations have already completed the CCTNS. The judiciary has agreed to the networking of courts in the state.
The CCTNS aims at creating a comprehensive and integrated system for enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of policing by adopting the principle of e-governance and creating a nationwide networking infrastructure.
