Due to the onslaught of the coronavirus pandemic, the original plan to install additional cameras under the Safe City Project in Lahore has been facing setbacks this year.
According to police sources, the initial installation of 8,000 cameras has reduced the crime rate by 50% in Lahore, making it easier for police to trace criminals.
Owing to the purported efficacy of the initiative, the Safe City had proposed to install more cameras at around 75 places in Lahore but the project has been stalled.
Police sources said that the crime rate has increased in places where cameras have not been installed as yet.
During routine patrol, police also receive call on the 15 helpline by the Safe City Authority, which enables them to reach a potentially turbulent spot on time.
For this year, the government had proposed that the Safe City would install cameras in Rawalpindi and Nankana Sahib. The plan’s PC-1 was also approved, but the project could not get implemented due to the coronavirus epidemic.
But now it is expected that funds for the project will be released by the Planning and Development Department Punjab this month.
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The government has planned to install cameras in certain cities of Punjab, including Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Multan, Sargodha, and Bahawalpur.
The government had announced in FY20-21 budget that cameras would be installed in more cities under the Safe City Project. An amount of Rs12 million was also set aside for the purpose, although the funds were deemed not to be adequate enough.
The authorities said that the funds for the development work were utilised to battle the coronavirus epidemic instead in 2020.
According to a spokesperson of the Safe City Authority, 8,000 cameras were installed in Lahore at a cost of Rs17.5 billion, but now the cost will be reduced due to modern technology and the fibre-optic cable facility from the PTCL.
The spokesperson said as Lahore is a huge city around 50,000 cameras should ideally be installed, particularly around the newly-developed areas, to curb the crime rate.
“Suggestions have been made to the government in this regard. Around 1,500 of the total cameras installed in Lahore are out of order,” said the SCA spokesperson.
The spokesperson said that the company tasked with installing the cameras has been notified of the problem and it will replace the faulty cameras soon.
Meanwhile, Chief Operating Officer SCA Kamran Khan said that the process of installing cameras in the rest of the cities will begin soon and with optimum changes the project will require lesser funds.
Hailing the camera installation project, Lahore residents are of the opinion that the surveillance has led to a major reduction in robberies on Lahore’s main highways.
A resident of Lahore, Umair Riaz, said that after the installation of cameras the functionality of the traffic system has also improved.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 20th, 2021.
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