Months after the terror attack near the Red Fort, authorities have decided to install CCTV cameras across the monument’s complex. The decision was taken after a series of meetings involving officials from the Intelligence Bureau, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), Delhi Police, and the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).
According to reports, around 150 CCTV cameras will be installed in and around the Red Fort complex in the first phase to strengthen security. The move was discussed in detail by all the aforementioned authorities and agencies, who later approved the decision. These cameras will be placed inside the monument and at all key entry and exit points to the Fed Fort parking lot.
Beyond the installation of CCTV cameras, authorities have also discussed additional measures to strengthen security around the 17th-century monument in Delhi. More police personnel will be deployed at the entry gates of the Red Fort complex.
Reports say that high-mast floodlights will be installed in two parks—August 15 Park and Madhav Das Park—located outside the fort’s ramparts. Reports suggest that the work on light and CCTV camera installations will be complete within the next week and they have been strategically placed to avoid any blind spots in the monument complex.
Now, it may come as a surprise but Red Fort has never had any CCTV cameras in its complex before. According to reports, for almost seven years, the ASI has raised objections to the move of installing cameras or security and surveillance around the famous monument.
This was mainly due to heritage conservation rules and security protocols unique to protected monuments under the ASI. Installing cameras would require drilling, cabling, and mounting equipment, all of which could cause structural damage and alter the original walls, ceilings, and façades of the historic monument. The primary concern behind this objection was the structural preservation of the Red Fort.
