Govt dusts off Safe City project after five years

Around Rs360 million has been released to complete the Safe City project, which has been delayed for the past 5 years. Around 1,900 cameras will be installed at 347 locations to control crime and traffic, in addition to identifying criminals and bringing them to book.

Like other cities, the Safe City project was also launched in Gujranwala in 2016. At that time, the project was estimated at Rs3 billion and the structure of the building was almost complete. However, since 2018, work on the project stopped due to various reasons.

Gujranwala CPO Rana Ayaz Saleem brought the delayed project to the notice of IG Punjab Dr Usman Anwar and Caretaker Chief Minister Punjab Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi. He maintained that the project is very important for citizens and law enforcement agencies alike.

Read more Safe City project still a distant dream

The Chief Minister and IG Punjab fixed a budget of Rs360 million to complete the stalled project. The building department will complete the project, WAPDA will complete the electrical work and the Safe City Authority will complete technical work.

CPO Saleem said this project was very important. The crime rate in 347 places is extremely high and there are major traffic problems in these places. As many as 1,900 cameras will be installed at these places, expected to help the Dolphin Force and police to control crimes. The CPO said that the Dolphin Force Headquarters has been established, with various offices set up therein.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 24^th, 2023.