Yet again a daring gold heist was reported in the commercial capital Margao on Saturday. However the police could not zero in on the miscreants as the Closed Circuit TV (CCTV) cameras were defunct. It is learnt that around 20 of the 23 cameras which were either replaced or repaired post the murder of a jeweller in October last year are lying defunct for want of repairs or are in need of replacement. Besides preventing traffic violation, it must be said that CCTVs play a vital role in preventing crimes in the cities.
CCTVs are installed at various places in the state but most of them are not in working condition. This defeats the very purpose of installing these cameras using public funds. It is prudent to carry out periodic maintenance in order to keep these CCTVs functional. The heavy monsoon rains could render them non-functional. This maintenance work needs to be outsourced so that the responsibility of maintaining them lies on somebody’s shoulders. It is generally observed that when a major theft takes place no one owes responsibility for the non-functioning CCTVs in the vicinity.
