Delhi MCD Schools: CCTV Camera Failures Spark Safety Concerns

A new report reveals that over 20% of CCTV cameras in Delhi's Municipal Corporation (MCD) schools are not working, raising serious questions about student safety and security.

Photograph: Ayush Sharma/ANI Photo

Key Points

Approximately 21% of CCTV cameras in Delhi's MCD schools are currently non-functional, impacting school surveillance.
Shahdara North zone has the highest number of defunct cameras, with only 39 out of 242 operational, raising concerns about security.
The MCD plans to address the issue by implementing annual maintenance contracts for all non-functional CCTV cameras in schools.
Despite a plan to install over 10,000 CCTV cameras, many Delhi schools still lack adequate surveillance coverage.
The MCD will begin installing cameras in remaining schools from April, funded by the education department's existing budget.

Around 21 per cent of CCTV cameras installed across schools run by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) are non-functional, according to an official report.

Out of a total of 3,202 cameras installed in MCD schools across 12 zones, as many as 682 are not working, accounting for approximately 21.3 per cent of the surveillance network.

Regional Breakdown of CCTV Functionality

According to the report, most cameras are lying defunct in the Shahdara North zone, with only 39 out of 242 operational.

Meanwhile, the Shahdara South zone has only one CCTV camera, which is operational.

In the Central zone, where 987 cameras have been installed, 700 are operational while 287 are non-functional.

All 21 CCTV cameras installed in City SP zone are working, while only 4 out of 13 cameras are operation in Civil Lines area.

Additionally, out of the 148 cameras installed in Karol Bagh zone, 99 are functional while 49 are not.

Keshav Puram reported 129 operational CCTV cameras out of the 139 installed. In Narela, 82 out of 104 cameras are working, while 22 are not functional.

MCD schools in Najafgarh zone have the highest number of CCTV cameras at 1,164, of which 1,119 are working. In Rohini, 111 out of 153 cameras are functional, while 42 are defunct.

The South zone has 115 cameras, of which 104 are working, and 11 are not.

In the West zone, 111 out of 115 cameras are working, while 4 are not functional, the report stated.

Plans for Repair and Expansion

Officials said the civic body plans to address the issue through annual maintenance contracts.

"We will get an annual maintenance contract for every non-functional camera across schools. This has been included in our budget this year and will be adjusted within the planned expenditure," an education department official said.

The data comes more than two years after the erstwhile AAP-led MCD, in December 2023, announced it would install 10,786 CCTV cameras across 786 schools operated by it, at an estimated cost of around Rs 25 crore.

Under the plan, each school was to be equipped with 10 internet-enabled vandal dome cameras, and five bullet cameras to strengthen safety and surveillance.

However, several schools continue to lack adequate camera coverage, according to the report. Officials said the civic body will begin installing cameras in all remaining schools from April.

The expenditure for the installation drive would be met from the education department's existing budget, which stands at Rs 3,264.84 crore for the current financial year, they added.

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