Now Reading: Battery thefts cripple Chandigarh surveillance grid
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Battery thefts cripple Chandigarh surveillance grid
Chandigarh's smart city surveillance network is under threat after at least 25 batteries powering CCTV cameras were stolen in the past month, according to state-run Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL). BEL has written to the Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) warning that the thefts are leaving key traffic junctions and surveillance points without power backup, directly impacting public safety.
The thefts have occurred in Sectors 28/29, Poultry Farm areas, railway light points, and Sectors 37/41. Despite CCTV footage capturing a suspect in an August 17 incident, the municipal corporation has not yet filed a First Information Report (FIR). BEL has urged the MC to lodge complaints and coordinate with police for increased patrolling.
Data from a district road safety committee meeting shows 185 CCTV cameras are currently non-functional in the city, up from 115 on June 23. Last year, the ICCC system faced a similar disruption when enforcement through traffic cameras was halted for weeks due to pending payments to BEL, causing a backlog of nearly 25,000 challans. Municipal commissioner Amit Kumar said a joint complaint with BEL will be filed.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The thefts expose a vulnerability in India's smart city model: the infrastructure is expensive to secure but cheap to steal from. Chandigarh's ICCC integrates feeds from nearly 2,000 cameras, and each battery loss can knock out a node that monitors traffic violations or emergency response. The 70-camera increase in non-functional units in two months suggests a pattern, not random crime. BEL's warning to the MC underscores a recurring problem: payment delays and maintenance gaps have previously paralysed enforcement, as seen with the 25,000-challan backlog last year. The next signal to watch is whether the MC files an FIR within a week and whether police act on the CCTV footage they already have. If not, the grid's reliability for policing and challan revenue remains at risk.
Source: hindustantimes.com
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