Panchkula: Contract worth Rs 2.43 crore for repair of Panchkula CCTV cameras

Panchkula: Waking up from deep slumber, the local municipal corporation has decided to keep around 400 closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras operational throughout the year. The municipal corporation has allotted the work of one-time replacement and repair of these cameras at a cost of Rs 2.43 crore. The municipal corporation will also appoint a company for their annual maintenance, which will cost Rs 89 lakh. Mayor Kulbhushan Goyal said today, “We have allotted the work of one-time replacement and repair of CCTV cameras at a cost of Rs 2.43 crore. Now we have decided to allot the contract to a private company for repair of CCTV cameras every year at a cost of Rs 89 lakh. For the first year, the contract will continue till August 2025 and will be renewed every year.” The cameras installed in markets, roads and other places have not been working since November 2022. MC sources said, “The officials concerned, despite knowing about the faulty cameras, have failed to make them functional for the last one and a half years. In fact, Mayor Kulbhushan Goyal had directed the officials to prepare estimates, get them approved and start the work, but to no avail.” During the Finance and Contracts Committee (F&CC) meeting in June, the MC had decided to spend Rs 2.43 crore on one-time repair and replacement of faulty and non-functioning CCTV cameras. “The corporation is spending Rs 2.43 crore on repair and replacement of faulty CCTV cameras,” the mayor had said.

The F&CC had approved the work in June. Officials said that since the cameras were not functioning for a long time, their parts were either missing or damaged. Some cameras, which were in really bad condition, had to be replaced with new ones. So, the municipal corporation decided to get all of them repaired at once at a cost of Rs 2.43 crore. The mayor has warned the officials concerned to get the work completed or face action. The issue of non-functioning CCTV cameras has been discussed in several meetings. Officials and the mayor had stressed on their maintenance as the non-functioning cameras were defeating the very purpose of their installation.