PONDA: With at least seven incidents of chain-snatching reported on the streets of Ponda in the recent past, citizens have been pushing for increased surveillance of public places, because the police cannot be everywhere. The problems of trespassers, rumours of children being abducted and the rampant robberies, especially of unoccupied homes of people who live overseas, have contributed to the growing demand for public CCTV cameras.
“Not just in Ponda city, but we require CCTV cameras even on the National Highways, village roads and schools. Even if the presence of the cameras does not deter crimes, it could help the police nab the culprits,” said social worker Sandeep Parkar. He points out how useful CCTV footage was in the case of the murder of the two senior citizen sisters in Ponda last year, and more recently, the police used CCTV footage from a private establishment to trace the vehicle used in a crime in Usgao.
Sadly, the CCTV cameras installed across Ponda in 2015 are now merely showpieces atop the electricity poles. The 22 cameras have been non-functional since 2017, due to the lack of a maintenance contract.
The Ponda civic body, responsible for the installation and maintenance of the cameras, strangely echoes the same excuse as its Margao and Mapusa counterparts- the lack of funding. Ponda Municipal Council Chairperson Ritesh Naik said he was aware of the need for surveillance cameras, but the civic body was trying to scrape together the funds for the same. “We will send a proposal to the Chief Minister, in this regard,” he said.
Ponda PI Vijaykumar Chodankar said that CCTV cameras would be extremely helpful for the police. CCTV cameras are a must everywhere, to keep an eye on illegal activities. “It will help the traffic police to issue challans for violations, and help improve the safety of women and children,” said Viraj Sapre, a social worker from Ponda.
