The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has apparently issued orders for CCTV to be installed in all public places in the Indian City in just one month’s time.
The Times of India reported yesterday that municipal commissioner Mahesh Pathak has declared that owners of public buildings have one month from August 7 to install surveillance cameras.
The orders apply to shopping malls, cinema halls, commercial buildings, shops, company offices, auditoriums, markets, religious structures, hotels, important tourist attractions, exclusive business buildings and historical buildings.
The PMC statement is quoted as saying: “Owners will have to install CCTV cameras which will store footage for at least a month. All such property owners should install them in a month from August 7 and submit report to ward officers, who in turn will report to the municipal commissioner.”
If enforced, the new rules are likely to provide a major fillip for CCTV installers and distributors in the region.
The steps taken follow a bombing in a bakery in 2010 where 9 people died and a series of explosions on August 1 along the Jungli Maharaj (JM) Road.
“Following the German Bakeray [sic] and recent JM road blasts, it is necessary to initiate steps to implement proactive measures to avoid disasters. As per the Disaster Management Act 2005, the civic body can initiate steps to protect lives of citizens and hence the PMC has taken this step.”
Critics have pointed out that the cost of installing CCTV across the city will hit business owners hard.
Vikas Mathkari from the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) reportedly said: “Law and order is the responsibility of the Pune police and not the PMC. The municipal commissioner has no right to issue orders to install CCTV cameras. Why should citizens bear the burden of its installation and maintenance cost?”
