The Resident Welfare Association (RWA) of Chandigarh's Modern Housing Complex (MHC) has formally approached Member of Parliament Manish Tewari, seeking additional financial support to rectify significant shortcomings in a recently installed CCTV surveillance system. The move comes after the system's inadequacies hampered police investigations into recent incidents of theft and vehicle accidents within the complex.
System Inaugurated, But Concerns Ignored
In a letter to the MP, the RWA acknowledged Manish Tewari's initial role in sanctioning the CCTV cameras through the Member of Parliament Local Area Development (MPLAD) scheme. The surveillance project was officially inaugurated in October. However, residents revealed they had raised red flags about the implementation of the project by the Municipal Corporation (MC) right from the start.
Those early warnings, the association states, have now materialized into serious operational flaws. The deficiencies became glaringly apparent when local police were unable to utilize the CCTV footage to aid investigations into recent thefts and accidents on the premises.
Three Critical Gaps in Security Setup
The RWA's communication to the MP outlines three primary issues that are crippling the effectiveness of the security system:
- Absence of Monitoring Screens: The system currently lacks monitors or display screens, making real-time surveillance impossible.
- Blind Spots at Entry/Exit: There is no camera coverage at the main entry and exit points of the housing complex, a critical vulnerability.
- Lack of Camera Location Data: Despite repeated requests, the concerned department has not provided details on the exact locations of the installed cameras.
The association emphasized that without these essential components, the entire CCTV installation fails to serve its core law enforcement and crime detection purpose.
Formal Request for Additional MPLAD Funds
To bridge these gaps, the RWA has submitted a request for additional MPLAD funds to be sanctioned. The proposed funds would be used for two key upgrades: installing the necessary monitoring equipment and extending camera coverage to encompass all five main entry and exit points of Modern Housing Complex.
The residents' body has stressed that these corrective measures are imperative to ensure the CCTV project fulfills its intended objective of enhancing security, deterring crime, and providing crucial evidence to aid police investigations. The ball is now in the court of the MP's office to consider this appeal for supplementary funding to complete the project effectively.
