Shooting in the dark
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: July 30, 2012 -

Well, this is not about our home grown archer Laishram Bombayla missing her medal-target at the London Olympic or about the front-page photograph of our aging honourable Chief Minister test-firing an air pistol at the shooting range of Khuman Lampak Sports Complex during a recent inspection visit.

Nor it has got anything to do with the Manipuri digital film making.

To cut short the guessing game, well, it is all about the ludicrously 'grand project' of installing Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras along the dark streets and corners of Imphal city to monitor criminal activities.

Following recurring incident of bomb blasts and gun violence that claimed many innocent lives and caused injury to several others, the state government came up with the 'noble idea' of installing CCTVs at different parts of the city.

Consequently, the execution of the grand project was started with the blessing of Union Ministry of Home Affairs, the required control room was opened inside the complex of Imphal West District Police and the CCTV cameras installed at different parts of Imphal were put on trial since April this year to record all the activities that happen around Imphal city every day.

With the work done, the state government pats itself and claims that law and order condition in Imphal has improved considerably after installation of CCTV cameras.

Interestingly, the state government has overlooked the fact that in the absence of regular power supply, these CCTV cameras would be nothing more than some useless trash.

With most of the street lamps along the roads of Imphal including those in the main market hub, not functioning properly and every inch of the city remaining in pitch-darkness soon after sunset, how would installation of CCTV cameras be able to deter criminal and other subversive activities?

This was the same question that everyone was asking when the government conjures up its grand plan of installing CCTV cameras at every nook and corner of Imphal.

While one is not likely to get an answer to this question with the situation of power supply remaining as pathetic as ever, it is funny how the CCTV cameras which were installed to catch criminals have become easy target for petty thieves who steal the parts for easy money.

As a matter of fact, three cases of stealing the parts of CCTV cameras including the battery, etc, have already been reported since their installation in April last, thus giving a hard time for the police.

By the way, what has become of the assurance of Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh, who, soon after taking over the charge of power gave the assurance of providing power supply round the clock much to the amusement of the people for whom getting power supply even for 4 hours at a stretch in a span of 24 hours, is still a luxury?

Well, it must have ended up like the proverbial saying of politician promising to build bridge where there is no river.