PONDA: Finding itself on the back foot, the Ponda Municipal Council has decided to forward a proposal to the government asking for new CCTV cameras to be installed as the old ones are defunct.
This move comes close on the heels of protests carried out by locals questioning rise in chain-snatching and theft cases, where the failure of the existing CCTV system was also criticised.
PMC tried to defend itself and blamed the agency appointed for its maintenance for neglecting the CCTVs.
It may be recalled that 22 CCTVs were installed using funds provided by former South Goa MP Narendra Sawaikar in the year 2015. The controlling and operating system was operating from Ponda police station. PMC Chairperson Venkatesh Naik also claimed that the Police had not informed them about the non-functional cameras in time.
Locals however, pointed out that the CCTC systems are not functioning for the last two years and that in some places, the cables connecting the CCTV cameras have been cut and can be seen hanging.
“We will send a proposal to the government to install modern CCTV cameras, which can be viewed by the municipal staff as well as the police,” said Naik, while adding that they are considering installing the monitoring system at the municipality’s premises.
A resident of Ponda, Prakash Naik said the PMC should be more efficient in how it uses the cameras given that there appears to be problems in maintaining 22 cameras. He said the authorities should focus on prime areas of the town as well as the entry and exit points.
