State-owned electronics firm Keltron has begun a detailed survey of major intersections across Nagpur where CCTV cameras were installed under the Smart City surveillance project. The survey aims to assess the number of functional cameras, and replacements required.
The survey follows the decision of Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) to sign a Rs125 crore, five-year operations and maintenance contract with the state-owned electronics firm to revive the city’s defunct surveillance network. Of the 3,682 cameras installed in 2017, more than a thousand have stopped functioning, leaving large parts of the network ineffective.
Officials said the survey will enable Keltron to prepare a restoration plan and prioritise junctions with non-functional cameras. “The idea is to ensure that traffic monitoring and law enforcement are not hampered due to blind spots in the system,” said a senior NMC officer.
The exercise is expected to conclude in the coming weeks, after which a formal work order will be issued for repair and replacement of cameras. Once restored, the CCTV grid is expected to significantly improve traffic management and public safety across the city.
Meanwhile, NMC administrator Abhijeet Chaudhari has directed all civic and development agencies to treat the Smart City’s optical fibre network as an “essential public service.” His directive comes in the wake of repeated disruptions caused by indiscriminate digging, particularly during monsoon works, that frequently cripple the CCTV backbone.
The Nagpur Smart and Sustainable City Development Corporation Limited (NSSCDCL) had earlier prepared a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) making it mandatory for any agency to seek prior clearance before excavation. A designated officer is supposed to inspect the site and supervise work to prevent fibre cuts. However, despite these measures, rampant digging has repeatedly disrupted connectivity, leaving hundreds of cameras defunct.
With Keltron’s intervention and stricter enforcement of fibre protection norms, officials hope the city’s Rs470 crore ‘Nagpur Safe and Smart City’ project will finally deliver on its promise of a reliable, technology-driven surveillance system
