Inadequate power supply likely to throw a spanner at CCTV system
New face of police modernisation in city heart
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, April 17 2012: The grand project of installing CCTV cameras at different points of Imphal is unlikely to deliver its full potential due to inadequate and irregular power supply.

CCTV cameras have been installed in different points of Imphal city after repeated incidents of bomb blasts and gun violence at different parts of Imphal city which have claimed many lives and injured many others.

Even the Raj Bhavan was not spared with a bomb fitted care detected inside its campus a few years back.

As part of the State police modernisation drive, the State Government sent a proposal to the Ministry of Home Affairs to install CCTV cameras at different points of Imphal city.

Subsequently, the CCTV cameras were installed with due consent of the Ministry of Home Affairs.

A reliable source in the State Home Department informed that a trial of the CCTV cameras has been already conducted.

Even though the CCTV cameras were installed with the basic objective of deterring criminal and other subversive activities in Imphal city to a considerable level, it is unlikely that the novel project would deliver its full potential.

A CCTV installed at a key intersection of the city

After installing the CCTV cameras, a control room has also been opened inside the complex of Imphal West District Police.

The control room can now record all the activities that happen around Imphal city before the CCTV cameras.

In addition to the CCTV cameras installed at different junctions of Imphal city, similar cameras have been installed in many big shops with support from the police.

Following installation of these CCTV cameras, law and order situation of Imphal city has improved to some extent, claimed the source.

However, it remains doubtful that this network of CCTV cameras can be operated effectively to its full potential on account of the pathetic power supply situation.

At present, Imphal city does not receive power supply even for 10 hours a day.

It is feared that power supply available for a few hours in a day would not be sufficient to fully charge the batteries of the CCTV cameras as well as the battery installed in the control room.

If the batteries installed in the control room could not be fully charged, the system may go out of operation during hours of load shedding.

Given this situation, the State Government is considering to send a proposal to the Ministry of Home Affairs for fixing a solar charger to each CCTV camera.

By calculating the quantity of solar light received during day time in Imphal, it is also being looked into whether the proposed solar chargers can fully charge the CCTV camera batteries, added the source.