Camera Patrolling In Patna Now

The state capital might soon turn into a city of cameras. Patna police seem focused on turning their closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera dream into a reality.

In the next six months, as many as 81 CCTV cameras, similar to the one at the Patna Junction roundabout, would be installed at more than 60 locations across the capital. These cameras would act as a force multiplier and would be installed at several locations of the state capital like the civil court area, Dakbungalow roundabout, the Old Secretariat area and R-Block. VIP areas and roundabouts will have more than one camera. Four cameras would be installed at each of the roundabouts at Income Tax, Patna Junction, Exhibition Road and Dakbungalow. A camera installed at Patna Junction roundabout on Thursday would enable the traffic SP to watch the area on his desktop.

He added that the Bihar State Electronics Development Corporation (Beltron) would install the CCTV cameras and a technical tendering process for the same has been completed. A state-of-the-art control room for the same would be set up at the Patna police headquarters.

The control room will receive live footage from all the cameras, helping the police to monitor law and order besides traffic. The control room will have other facilities. The Dial 100 system would be made more effective and the number will have a recording facility.

A police officer, preferring anonymity, said: “England has got a similar system of CCTV cameras. Police there can see fleeing criminals on the screen and ask field colleagues to act accordingly. A similar system is in place in Dubai as well. Our system, which would be ready in six months, would resemble those.”

The city police have listed as many as 30 entry and exit points of Patna and are developing a plan to seal them whenever necessary to prevent criminals from escaping