Delhi Cabinet approves CCTVs in DTC, cluster buses

In order to ensure women's safety, the Cabinet has approved the Transport Department's proposal to authorise the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) to call tenders and sign the agreement for installation of CCTV cameras in 6,350 DTC and cluster buses, utilising the Nirbhaya Fund, to be provided by the Centre.

The DTC will appoint the Bid Process Manager through open tender inquiry. "The objective of this decision is to instill a sense of security in the minds of women commuters and to ensure their safe travel in public service buses," said an official.

Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has recommended detailed specifications for CCTV cameras under the project 'National Level Vehicle Security and Tracking System'. The specification of the proposed CCTV cameras would be either equivalent or higher to these specifications. Three IP CCTV cameras will be installed in each bus comprising latest technology. The installation and maintenance will be for five years. In his first budget speech as Finance Minister for the financial year 2015-16, Manish Sisodia had proposed the installation of CCTV cameras in all DTC and cluster buses. This was followed by the Delhi government's direction to the DTC for the installation of CCTV cameras in 200 buses on a pilot basis, which were installed in buses of Sarojini Nagar and Rajghat bus depots. Each of these buses has three CCTV cameras each and 15-day data is maintained.

"The matter was discussed at length over a series of meetings with central government ministries concerned with the Nirbhaya Fund, including the nodal Ministry of Women and Child Development," claimed the official.

On the occasion, the cabinet also approved the proposal of the Department of Food and Civil Supplies to engage a central government Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) as a service provider for the implementation of Fair Price Shops by installing Point of Sale (PoS) system in Delhi to provide end-to-end computerisation.

Further cabinet approved the proposal of the Department of Higher Education to grant ex-post facto approval to allow the institutes located in agricultural lands, in school buildings and rented premises affiliated to Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University and Board of Technical Education for the academic year (2016-17).

These institutes have been running in Delhi since many decades and have been provided NoCs for their smooth functioning over past years since land is a scarce commodity in the capital.