The defunct CCTV cameras installed at various locations in Vasco.
VASCO
Motorists need not panic when they see the many CCTV cameras on roads in the port town. The CCTV cameras simply do not work.
It's been around 13 years since 52 high-quality CCTV cameras were installed at strategic points in Vasco, which were funded by a Member of Parliament Local Area Development (MPLAD) scheme under the tenure of then South Goa MP Francisco Sardinha.
Despite initial plans to enhance security and monitor encroachments, these cameras have remained largely non-functional since they were installed in 2011.
Sources revealed that the project to install CCTV cameras were taken up at a cost of Rs 50 lakh.
The CCTV cameras were positioned on electricity poles at various strategic junctions to assist the Mormugao Municipal Council (MMC) to monitor encroachments and to help police to detect crimes.
However, shortly after being installed, the cameras ceased to function and what’s worse, some even went missing.
Since then, multiple MMC chairpersons have promised to address the issue, yet the cameras remain defunct and out of order.
CHALLENGES
The project faced a number of challenges from the start. Then MP Francisco Sardinha, who initiated the installation of CCTV cameras, lost the subsequent election in 2014 to BJP's Narendra Sawaikar. During Sawaikar's tenure, no progress was made to repair or replace the defunct CCTV cameras.
Sardinha returned to office in 2019, but the cameras remained inoperative.
In previous years, then MMC Chairperson Nandadeep Raut discussed moving a resolution to either maintain the cameras or seek funds from the South Goa MP for repairs or replacement.
"The MMC lacks sufficient funds and has approached the DMA for Rs 10 lakh to maintain the CCTV system. Confusion over maintenance plagued the project, as there was uncertainty on whether the installing party or MMC should be responsible for maintenance,” Raut had stated at the time.
Annual maintenance costs are estimated at around Rs 5 lakh, and this has prompted the MMC to explore the possibility of CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) funds for maintenance,” Raut said.
Despite multiple assurances from various MMC chairpersons and former MLA Carlos Almeida, the CCTV cameras continue to be out of order.
IMPORTANCE
Recognising the importance of CCTVs for crime detection, Vasco police had convened meetings with local shopkeepers and businesses, urging them to install at least one camera facing the road to provide vital clues for investigations.
Plans to approach philanthropists to sponsor new CCTVs were also discussed in the police meeting, but the initiative never materialised.
Vasco MLA Krishna Salkar has also reiterated the need for functional CCTV cameras in Vasco.
"We have many vital installations and defence organisations in the city, along with a railway station that brings in numerous people. It’s crucial to have a robust CCTV network to monitor and deter criminal activities," Salkar had stated in September 2022.
Salkar had even asked the police department to identify strategic locations for CCTVs and prepare cost estimates, aiming to secure new CCTV cameras with a five-year maintenance contract, funded either through the MP, the government, or CSR initiatives.
Vasco police had submitted a proposal to install cameras at 100 strategic locations to MMC, but the plan was rejected due to a lack of funds. A revised proposal with fewer locations was also sent through the SDPO office, but it received no response.
As years pass, the inoperative CCTV cameras symbolise a broader issue of unfulfilled promises.
Citizens of Vasco continue to hope for a solution that will finally see these critical security measures operational, enhancing safety and aiding in effective crime prevention in the city.
With Captain Viriato Fernandes now as the newly elected South Goa MP, there is renewed hope among authorities and citizens alike that the CCTV cameras can be made functional in the port town.
