Rawalpindi Safe City Project in doldrums
Safe City project. PHOTO: PPI/FILE
The Rawalpindi Safe City Project, conceived almost five years back for the surveillance and keeping a vigilant eye on criminal activities in the garrison city, is yet to see the light of day.
It is feared that the project, supposed to be carried out with the help of the Punjab Safe City Authority to install closed-circuit cameras in the garrison city, has hit a snag owing to the political tension between the provincial government and the centre, which had to bear half of the total cost of the project worth Rs23 billion.
Under the project, high-tech night vision cameras were to be installed at more than 1,000 locations in Rawalpindi to control crime and other illegal activities.
A senior officer of the district administration said on condition of anonymity that the Punjab government has agreed to pay Rs11.50 billion after a meeting with officials of the Punjab Safe City Authority.
The official said that half of the cost of the project has to be borne by the federal government. He said that the Rawalpindi district administration and the police have continuously been writing letters to the federal institutions to commit the funds but in a vein.
The official said that if the federal government agrees to release the funds, the project could be started at the earliest.
Under the safe city project, a central control room will be established in the under-construction building of the CPO complex. The control room will be equipped with 4G, infrared and Bluetooth technology and recording of CCTV cameras will be stored at three different locations.
The safe city project also aims to monitor large processions during Muharram and other religious occasions.
The officer said that the safe city project will
monitor all entrance and exit points of Rawalpindi, traffic flow on major highways and work of the Rawalpindi Waste Management Company personnel.
The completion of the safe city project can greatly improve the law-and-order situation in Rawalpindi, he said.
The project aims to create an integrated command and control system which will efficiently utilise the Rescue 1122, Dolphin Force, Quick Response Force, police and other law and security agencies.
Safe city experts have also marked the ideal locations where the closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras of the project are to be installed. The cameras to be installed under the programme can operate around the clock and under any weather condition. Moreover, they are capable of operating on 4-G technology, hence will not be affected by any disruption to their wired connections.
The official said that if the federal government releases funds, the project will help provide them with the necessary support to tackle street crime, monitor suspects and proscribed elements and even foil terror activities.
He said that if the project is made operational, police and other law enforcing agencies will be able to better plan their response for any emerging, unusual situation. He said that they can use their resources more efficiently.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 16th, 2023.