Click to play videoMumbai: The Maharashtra government plans to install 5,000 cameras across Mumbai, and it says the security step will work this time.
A CCTV system was set up at the city’s railway stations after train bombings on July 11, 2007 killed more than 180 people. But the security cameras failed miserably during the terrorist attacks in the city last November. The cameras at the CST Railway Station either recorded blurred images of terrorists or failed totally.
Experts say security cameras are effective only when they are regularly maintained and monitored. The state government says it will do that for the 5,000 new cameras to monitor Mumbai's roads, railways and important government buildings.
The cameras will have capabilities like motion detection, ability to recognise vehicle number plates, night vision and thermal imaging. The Indian Merchants Chamber, a business lobby, has prepared a blueprint for the plan in coordination with the Mumbai police.
“Efficiency of the police department will grow up (because of the cameras) and we can fight ant-social elements," says P N Mogre, chief advisor to the chamber.
Security experts though want the government to remember that the cameras can’t prevent crimes or terrorist attacks. "These are passive measures—action taken only after something has happened," says Col. Mahendra Choudhary, a former trainer with the commando unit National Security Guards.
Security cameras may not prevent terrorism, but they can be crucial proof. CCTV footage from the CST Railway Station has become evidence against the terrorists of the 26/11 attack.
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