Sabzi Mandi gets CCTV cameras

ISLAMABAD:

Amidst a spike in criminal activities in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, traders at the main vegetable market of Islamabad, Sabzi Mandi, have taken it upon themselves to install as many as 164 closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras around the marketplace.

Industrial Zone SP Zubair Ahmed was told this as he visited the market on Sunday along with Deputy Superintendent of Police Khalid Awan, and Sabzi Mandi Market Committee Chairperson Khushdal Khan Hoti and other traders.

The police officers reviewed the security arrangements made by the traders.

SP Ahmed added that the move was part of joint efforts between the police and the market’s ‘neighbourhood watch’ committee.

He added that around 12 of the cameras installed at the market’s entrance are now operative, providing security teams with a comprehensive view of the entrance and its adjoining areas.

Moreover, SP Ahmed said that three cameras under the federal capital’s Safe City project have also been installed there so that police officials at the project’s central headquarters can remain alert to any suspicious activities at the market.

The remaining cameras have been installed at the shops in the market.

The police official added that some 30 guards have been deployed to maintain order inside the market. He added that the implementation of security measures had become possible with the cooperation of the neighbourhood council of the market.

Committee members and security guards were also briefed about preventive measures for the novel coronavirus (Covid-19).

They assured the visiting police officials of their full cooperation in implementing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to avoid the spread of the pandemic virus.

Police efforts to ensure security were also lauded and every possible cooperation was assured by traders to further improve it.

RCCI welcomes tariff reduction

Meanwhile, Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) President Nasir Mirza on Sunday welcomed Prime Minister Imran Khan’s announcement to provide relief to the industrial sector by announcing a reduction in power tariffs apart from launching other incentives.

“The Rawalpindi Chamber welcomes this decision,” Mirza said while addressing the second executive meeting of the RCCI.

He said the relief package will benefit Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), reduce power tariffs by almost 50 per cent on surplus consumption and reduce it for other industries by 25 per cent.

The abolishment of peak hour tariff and reduced tariffs on the electricity used is a laudable step, he said.

The RCCI president said that traders and industrialists have appreciated the decision given how much they were affected by the novel coronavirus (Covid-19).

The government has already provided several incentives to the business sector, including soft loans, reduction in interest rates, as well as other financial decisions and manufacturing services that still need more help to grow economically.

He said the chamber has always demanded a reduction in the cost of electricity and gas to reduce business costs.

Lower electricity rates would reduce business costs, he further added.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, November 9^th, 2020.