NEW DELHI: The government has installed CCTV cameras in schools to ensure the safety of students, but almost half of them don’t function due to lack of adequate means, which has invited criticism from the opposition.
The Delhi government has installed CCTV cameras in government schools to ensure the safety and security of students. However, nearly half of these cameras are non-operational due to the lack of internet facilities and other related issues. In response to this problem, Congress slammed the Kejriwal-led government. Congress spokesperson Siddharth Roy accused education minister Atishi Singh of jeopardising students’ safety.
The government, noting the occurrence of criminal activities within schools, initiated the CCTV camera project in 2019. According to officials, the main objective was to install CCTV surveillance in all government-operated schools to decrease crime and ensure a safe environment.
According to government data, the government has installed a total of 78,746 CCTV cameras in government schools, out of which only 40,408 are functional and 38,338 are said to be defunct. The Public Works Department (PWD) is responsible for the installation and maintenance of CCTV cameras in government schools. In addition to internet and network challenges, unclear footage has been attributed to dirty lenses.
A senior PWD official stated, “Many schools, particularly those in remote or densely populated areas, are experiencing internet issues or lack internet access altogether. Efforts are underway to resolve these problems. Currently, in many schools, cameras are operational at the local level and are monitored by the principal and the Head of School (HOS). We are working to connect all these cameras to a centralised software system that will feed footage to the command control room (CCR) for monitoring,” the official added.
Footage from a total of 38,338 cameras has been linked to the monitoring cell. “PWD is implementing the project. Recent rains have caused wiring issues in several schools. We have informed the maintenance and CCR teams to address these issues promptly,” said an Education Department official.
Roy said that the government under Kejriwal is notorious for making false promises while neglecting essential tasks. He criticised the AAP government for launching schemes without adequate maintenance, leading to their failure within a few months. This issue is evident with the installation of CCTV cameras, over half of which are reportedly non-functional. He claimed that the AAP government relies heavily on social media to spread misinformation about their achievements while actually deceiving the people of Delhi.
The decision to install CCTV cameras in schools was made following the 2017 incident in which a seven-year-old student was killed inside a washroom at a school in Gurugram. This tragedy caused a nationwide uproar, raising significant safety concerns among parents.