MARGAO
The defunct Closed Circuit TV (CCTV) surveillance cameras have come back to haunt the police authorities again after the commercial capital reported a daring gold heist on Saturday night.
While the men-in-uniform must have initially hoped to zero in on the miscreants with the help of CCTV cameras, realization later dawned that the Big Brother was on a sleep mode, leaving the police to hunt for CCTV footage of establishment in the new market area.
Inquiries by ‘The Goan’ has revealed that around 20 of the 23 cameras which were either replaced or repaired post-Swapnil Walke murder case in October last year, are lying defunct for want of repairs.
A senior Traffic police officer informed that only three CCTV surveillance cameras are presently functioning, while the others are lying defunct for reasons best known to the Margao Municipal Council. “The traffic department, Margao had written a letter to the Margao Municipal Council in May last, but the cameras have not been repaired or replaced till date”, DySP, Traffic, Prabodh Shirwaikar informed.
He said the traffic department had written a letter to the MMC since the civic body had assumed the responsibility to look after the upkeep and maintenance of the CCTV cameras.
This is the second time in the last one year that the issue of CCTV cameras installed across the city has come to the fore as they have proved of no use in crucial times. A senior police officer said the CCTV cameras are not required to keep the traffic violators at bay, but to tone up the security and safety of the people staying in the city.
