NAVIN JHA
VASCO: Believe it or not, but out of 52 Close Circuit Television Cameras (CCTV) that were installed on the electric poles at all important junctions in Vasco city, only 12 CCTVs exit. Others are reportedly missing for the last few months. Surprisingly no one, including the Mormugao Municipal Council (MMC) officials, and even the local traffic police authorities have any clue about these missing cameras. They are passing the buck on to each other.
According to sources, these 52 CCTVs were installed under MPLAD funds by the former South Goa MP Francisco Sardinha in order to avert unwanted activities and to keep a close watch on all suspicious activities, and for noting down traffic violations, besides that few of these cameras were used by the Mormugao Municipal council to keep a constant check on encroachments by vendors in the Vasco vegetable market, but since these cameras were non-funtional since the last one-and-half years, no one even paid attention to the public property and today about 40 cameras are missing!
In order to find out as to how these cameras suddenly went missing, Herald did a reality check by asking all the officials concerned if they had any clue. And guess what? The replies were a SHOCKER! some of them claimed that they had no idea about the missing CCTVs. However, they passed on the buck.
“Ever since we took over, we have been hearing that most of the these cameras were non-functional and will be repaired. Earlier, we were getting a direct feed from these cameras on to our monitoring system installed inside the Municipal hall. However, now we are not getting any link and thus have put off the system, but we have no clue as to who removed these cameras and why,” said chairperson MMC Deepak Naik
Singing a similar tune of ignorance on missing cameras, chief officer MMC Deepali Naik said, “I don’t know about these CCTV cameras. Of course I know that the traffic cops were supposed to look after these CCTVs. The traffic department used to utilise the services of these CCTVs to issue fines to traffic violators, but as far as MMC is concerned, we have no role and at least I am not aware as to who have taken out these cameras and how these gadgets went missing.”
Though MMC officials passed on the buck and finally the traffic cops were blamed, sources at the traffic cell claimed that they had no information about the missing CCTVs. When asked, a senior traffic police officer told Herald, “I have to find if these cameras have been taken off for repair or whether they have been stolen.”
What is more surprising is that these cameras were installed following the importance of the place and the departments’ utility. Today when 40 of the CCTVs have gone missing, none are bothered and the blame game is on.
It may be noted that recently the collector, South Goa, along with MP South Goa, Narendra Sawaikar, have taken initiatives to ensure that new CCTVs are installed at most locations in the port town, but the question here is, whether after installing the new CCTVs, any one would he made responsible or even the new CCTVs would also face similar neglect.
