Bidhannagar police to install more CCTV cameras before Puja

The Bidhannagar police commissionerate will install more CCTV cameras across its area before the Puja in an attempt to strengthen the safety and security of the residents.

Officers said around 100 CCTV cameras would be installed at all major intersections and on several roads in Salt Lake, Rajarhat, Baguiati and the airport area.

“We will install the CCTV cameras before the Puja. The existing CCTV system will be upgraded,” an officer of the Bidhannagar commissionerate said. Salt Lake now has more than 60 CCTV cameras, 14 of which are in Sector V.

“This is a great initiative. The Salt Lake streets become desolate after eight and the cameras will boost our confidence,” said Sourav Bhattacharya, a resident of AD block.

The township has been a safe haven for the criminals for years. The police, however, issued full proof arrangements for this Puja.

Sector V is the IT hub of Bengal and is home to about 600 large and small companies. According to an official of the Nabadiganta Industrial Township Authority, the civic body for Sector V, around 250 of these companies are in the IT space.

These include more than 100 call centres and BPOs based in various blocks of Sector V that function through the night. Since many of these call centres function for American and Australian clients, they remain open till morning and have several thousand employees travelling to and from the township from various parts of the city and its fringes.

Restaurants and cafes at Infinity Building also stay open all night, attracting visitors from other parts of the city.

Rohini Sen, who does night shifts in a BPO and steps out for a cigarette or a cup of tea in between work, said she had seen youths making obscene remarks at his female colleagues on many occasions. 

“But there is no police personnel around to approach for help. Seldom would you see any policeman, be it in a car or a two-wheeler, patrolling the area. The only places they can be spotted are near the Wipro crossing and opposite the Electronics Complex police station,” Rohini said.

The road near the Baisakhi footbridge, where a few months ago, a woman was found after being raped in a car, has a police kiosk within 100 metres of the spot. The police are supposed to patrol the footbridge, an easy getaway from Salt Lake to Kestopur, throughout the night.