Maha: Aurangabad to be covered by network of CCTV cameras

Aurangabad city in Marathwada region of Maharashtra will soon be covered by a network of 700 CCTV cameras which will not only help in better policing but will also improve the reach and quality of services being provided by the civic body, an official said on Tuesday.

The CCTV installation project has been undertaken by the Aurangabad Smart City Development Corporation (ASCDCL).

"We have decided to install 700 CCTV cameras across Aurangabad city and neighbouring industrial hub of Waluj under the jurisdiction of the police commissionerate," ASCDCL Deputy CEO Pushkal Shivam told PTI.

He said this network of cameras will help in better policing and will also come handy for the municipal corporation to provide better services to citizens.

Speaking on the status of the project, Shivam said, "The basic infrastructure for installing these cameras such as poles, fencing wire, laying of cables is completed. As many as 100 cameras are expected to become operational by month-end". The command control centre has already started receiving inputs from CCTV cameras under installation.

Another official said the deadline to complete the Rs 161 crore project has been extended to March 31, 2021 from December 31.

Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Suresh Wankhede said a separate office will be set up for monitoring feed generated by CCTV cameras.

"We will deploy some personnel for this project, but details will be worked out later," he said.

Aurangabad, which is the biggest city in the Marathwada region, is known as a major production centre of cotton textile and artistic silk fabrics.

Besides housing several prominent educational institutions, the city is also a popular tourism hub, with tourist destinations like the Ajanta and Ellora caves lying on its outskirts.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had inaugurated the 10,000-acre Aurangabad Industrial City (AURIC), the country's first greenfield industrial smart city and part of the upcoming Delhi-Mumbai industrial corridor, near here, in September last year. PTI AW NSK NSK