In yet another measure that has been taken by the Srinagar Administration, the commercial establishments have now been directed to ensure that they install good quality CCTV cameras and report any suspicious movement recorded in the CCTV footage to the concerned police station. While the step has been taken for safeguarding the life and property of the people of Srinagar District, the same is going to put extra financial pressure on the owners of the business establishments who are already facing a financial crunch from various sides. The task which the District Administration has given to the people carrying out commercial activities not only involves spending money on the CCTV cameras but there is also a huge task of routine maintenance of the same which will incur more money.
Even though the authorities have warned of consequences in case the orders are not adhered to, the move might shape up in a way that some commercial establishments will install the necessary set-up while others, to spare themselves from the brunt, might install the dummies which even today galore at several places across the city. The motive of installing the CCTV camera is well appreciated but there is a need for understanding the ground situation as well. The financial condition of the people in the business sector is not quite good which needs to be considered well before anything else.
Also, while the administration has termed the move of installing the CCTV camera as a “force multiplier” to curb and trace the movement of the anti-social, anti-national elements, the same demands that the administration should contribute to ensuring that a grid of CCTV cameras is set up across the district with their help for the greater safety of the people because the safety of the general public is also the responsibility of the administration.
In this direction, the administration should have notched up the plan and should have, by now, already come up with a plan which would have resulted in no to minimum spending by the business establishments for the installation of the CCTV cameras and should have had a final control and access by the police—ensuring successful surveillance.
The issue of the installation of CCTV is also set to face a roadblock in terms of the absence of continuous power supply because the city faces frequent power shutdowns which will impede the process of putting in place effective surveillance across Srinagar city. The matter trickles down to one thing and that is, the Government should take up the project on its own; ensure the installation as well as maintenance of the CCTV network across the district for the security as well as safety of the general public.
