Delhi Police, the arm of the central government that is responsible for keeping law and order and providing security to important persons in the national capital, has spent Rs 43,94,441 for installing the first 10 CCTV systems at its police stations.
The system is being put in place on the recommendations of the Supreme Court.
The court ordered the installation of ten cameras and a recording system in each of the police stations in December after hearing a petition on the custodial deaths in the national capital.
Each station must have a camera each in duty officer room, lock-up, office of the station house officer, ammunition room, visitor room, front and side at the perimeter of the police station building and the corridor on the ground floor as well as the first floor.
In January, the Court pulled up Delhi Police officials for a lack of progress in installing the cameras at the police stations.
Following the directive, the Delhi Police has now issued an open tender for installation of CCTV Camera systems in the remaining Police Stations.
Delhi’s estimated to have close to 200 police stations.
Going by the initial cost of Rs 4.4 lakh per police station, the overall exercise is likely to cost about Rs 8.5 cr.
Delhi Police has a reputation for being less sensitive to citizens as it is not controlled directly by Delhi’s local administration, but by the central government.
A visit to a Delhi Police station is likely to rank among the least desirable form of interactions with state authority for the capital’s citizens.
