Delhi Buses To Be Installed With CCTV Cameras And Panic Buttons

panic button and cams in dtc buses

panic button and cams in dtc buses

The Nirbhaya Rape Case of 2012, apart from sending shock waves across the country because of the inhumane rape and atrocities inflicted upon a young girl, also came as a wakeup call for the citizens as well as the Government of India regarding the issues of safety of women in India, especially in the Capital Rape City of India, Delhi. Nirbhaya Fund was announced in the 2013 Union Budget by the then UPA Government. This fund which includes a corpus of 10 billion INR is to be used to support initiatives by the government and NGOs working towards protecting the dignity and ensuring safety of women in India.

Abiding by its key promise in the mandate of elections, the Delhi Government, under Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), has now decided to use this corpus towards installation of CCTV cameras and panic buttons on all DTC and cluster buses. The Nirbhaya Fund, to be provided by the central government, will be used for this purpose.

Kailash Gahlot, a minister with AAP, said, “This measure would impart a feeling of security to women using public transport.”

In a meeting chaired by the Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the proposal of the transport department to call tenders and sign the agreement for installation of CCTV cameras on 6,350 DTC and cluster buses was approved. The project at an estimated cost of around Rs 140 crore will be funded by the Nirbhaya Fund.

The council of ministers has also decided that the state government-owned company Delhi Transport Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited will execute the project. Detailed specifications for the CCTV cameras to be installed in the buses has been recommended by the Union road transport ministry. The Project has been named “National-Level Vehicle Security and Tracking System”.

The Plans

  • DTC and cluster buses would get state-of-the-art IP (internet protocol) CCTV cameras.
  • Each bus will have three such cameras.
  • The installation and maintenance of the cameras will be for five years.
  • A screen shall be provided on each bus to telecast the output from each of the three cameras.
  • There will be a panic button on each bus.
  • When pressed the control room will be alerted and a security team will be mobilised to thwart the danger.

The DTC buses had been installed with 200 CCTV cameras on a pilot basis from Sarojini Nagar and Rajghat depots following the Nirbhaya episode. 15 days’ data is maintained from the cameras of these buses and the data can be stored in archives for a loner period according to requirement.

The Women in India are not safe. In the recent past there have been a spate of rapes and molestations against women, especially in Delhi and its adjoining areas. It is of utmost importance that all necessary precautions be taked for the safety of the women in India, and installation of CCTV cameras as well as panic buttons is surely a step in the right direction.