City on Terror Radar, but CCTV Camera Project Still Incomplete
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SUNDAY TIMES OF INDIA, PUNE 2 TIMES CITY JULY 13, 2014 City on terror radar, but CCTV AICTE nod to colleges binding on state: HC camera project still incomplete Vishwas Kothari TNN forms, document verifica- also relied on the high num- tion and confirmation of ber of vacant seats that are Pune: The Bombay high pleas at the application re- reported for engineering de- ‘Won’t Be Able To THE PROJECT Forensic experts court has ruled that the state ceipt centres for the diploma gree and diploma courses in government cannot back out CAP is to conclude on July 14, the last few years. from sanctioning new engi- according to an extended The bench, however, n The Rs 224.31-crore plan would Meet Aug 28 Date to look at footage neering and diploma colleges deadline declared by the noted that the state on July 3 comprise installation of 1,285 CCTV and courses after they have DTE. A provisional merit list has granted approval to the cameras at 444 locations in the city For Installation’ from blast site been approved by the All In- is to be released on July 15, af- degree courses at unaided in- n 300 cameras each will be installed dia Council for Technical ter which the schedule for on- stitutions and this was also Asseem Shaikh TNN in zone 1 and zone 2 TIMES NEWS NETWORK Education (AICTE) in con- line submission of option the reason for the court to dis- sultation with the govern- forms will be declared. pose of — by a common order n Spots for cameras Pune: Consecutive terror attacks in Pune: The state anti-terrorism squad ment. The 13 institutions had fil- on July 8 — all those writ pet- selected by the city police 2010 and 2012 were not enough for the (ATS), Pune, has decided to send the “Having participated at ed separate petitions in the itions in the D Y Patil Pratish- and the contractor local police and the administration CCTV camera footage from the site of all the stages (of approval by high court against the state’s than college of engineering to wake up to the urgent need to in- n Every police station will be able to Thursday’s low-intensity bomb blast the AICTE), the respondent reluctance to issue a govern- vs DTE and others case. In stall CCTVcameras across the city. see the footage near Dagdusheth Halwai Ganapati state and the director of tech- that case, the state had taken After a low-intensity blast outside Temple to a forensic science laborato- nical education (DTE) can- a similar defence of perspec- n High resolution cameras to enable Having participated Dagdu Sheth Halwai Ganapati tem- ry for analysis, sources said. not withdraw themselves tive plan, financial burden photographing of vehicle at all the stages (of ple in Budhwar Peth on Thursday, the ATS officials took the decision af- from the obligations to grant and existing vacancies. Pune police accepted that the project number plates and ter it was found that the CCTV cam- approval at such stage,” a approval by the AICTE), the “The state, therefore, in is indeed moving at a snail’s pace and activities in the area eras installed on the building housing high court division bench of respondent state and spite of such a defence, hav- that it won’t be ready by August 28, n Home minister R R Patil has said the Faraskhana and Vishrambaug po- Justices Anoop Mohta and A the director of technical ing granted approval to simi- the deadline set by the state govern- the project will be completed before The CCTV footage from Thursday’s lice stations had captured blurred im- A Sayed observed in 19-page education cannot withdraw lar situated degree courses, ment. Ganesh festival blast site is blurred, police have said ages of the suspects parking the mo- judgment on July 9. themselves from the the denial of same benefits The project to install 1,285 CCTV torcycle. The CCTV recordings will be The court granted relief obligations to grant and approval to the diploma cameras across the city was mooted that Mathur, in a meeting of citizens’ ment has also allocated funds for the sent to a private expert for analysis. to Kolhapur-based D Y Patil courses, though AICTE has after the German Bakery blast in groups and traders at Chinhwad on same. The Pune police have meanwhile polytechnic and 12 other in- approval at such stage granted approval is unjusti- 2010 that killed 17 people and injured June 19, had said that not a single The Rs 224.31-crore contract in- decided to install superior quality stitutions, while directing — An HC division bench fiable. The similar defence so 64 others. It failed to gain momentum camera has been installed so far. cludes setting up 1,285 cameras at 444 CCTV cameras at the police stations. the government and the DTE raised in this affidavit is also even after the JM Road serial blasts Aditional commissioner of police locations across the city. A project Parking at the blast site has been to include their names in this ment resolution sanctioning unsustainable and self-con- in August 2012. (administration) Abdur Rehman implementation committee, headed banned, while the civic parking prem- year’s centralized admission their inception from 2014-15, tradictory,” the bench ob- Though the Pune police says the told TOI that the contractor has start- by Pune police commissioner, has ises near the police stations can only process (CAP) for the post- even after the AICTE had ap- served. CCTV cameras won’t be ready on ed the work, though the progress is been constituted to monitor the in- be used by policemen. Private individ- SSC (Std X) engineering di- proved them. Among other Citing the AICTE’s su- time, Allied Digitals, the company slow. “About 300 CCTV cameras will stallation work. The additional com- uals have to park their vehicles on the ploma courses. Through an things, they prayed for the premacy in the approval of that has been given the contract to in- be installed in zone I and zone 2 cover- missioners of Pune and Pimpri road. interim order on June 26, the court’s directions to the state new colleges and courses, the stall the cameras in the city and Pim- ing 17 police stations in south region Chinchwad municipal corporations, Police constable Dada Rasge’s mo- court had directed the DTE to to issue the GR and to include bench observed, “Having pri Chinchwad, said it would meet area,” said Rehman. representatives of the district ad- torcycle, which was used in the blast, display names of these insti- them in the engineering di- once granted the approval af- the deadline set by the state govern- Speaking to TOI over the phone ministration, the state department of was stolen from the Satara court tutions on its website, subject ploma CAP by mentioning ter following the due proce- ment. from Mumbai, Allied Digitals CEO information and technology, Maha- premises on June 25. The bomb was to further orders. their names in the institute dure so prescribed, including Home minister R R Patil, who vis- Jawahar Ali said, “This is a security rashtra State Electricity Distribu- placed in the storage unit of the bike. In its July 9 judgment, the information brochure with after taking views of state ited the site of the fresh terror attack project. Certain information per- tion Company Ltd (MSEDCL) and Rasge has given a statement to the bench observed, “We are of course-wise sanctioned in- government and other au- in which five people were injured on taining to the project is classified and Public Works Department (PWD) are ATS and other police agencies that he the view that everybody con- take, institute code and thorities, the role of the state Thursday, said CCTV cameras would we cannot share the details.” other members of the committee. had not installed a storage unit on his cerned should be permitted choice code. of Maharashtra, in our view be installed in the old city, Pune On why the project has not picked The spots for the CCTV cameras vehicle. to participate in admission On July 2, the DTE and the is quite restricted. There is Camp and adjoining areas before the up momentum, Ali said, “The work is were selected after a survey done by The ATS and Pune police have process at the earliest. The in- department of higher and nothing pointed out that the Ganesh festival. in progress, but civil works pertain- the police and company's officials. started checking criminals on police terim order so passed technical education filed an state/DTE has power to over- Patil’s statement came after the ing to digging, trenching, re-surfac- The company will have to maintain records involved in vehicle thefts. “We (should) also be merged into affidavit resisting these ride the decision taken by Shiv Sena-BJP opposition led by ing, underground cabling, erection the cameras for the next five years. have formed police teams to check sus- the final order to enable the prayers on the grounds that AICTE.” MLA Girish Bapat protested against of poles, installing internet connec- The server will be installed in the po- pects involved in vehicle thefts after institutions and students to sanctioning new institutions The bench also observed the delay. Patil said the work is under- tions among others were affected be- lice commissionerate. The addition- obtaining a list from the Pune and Sat- participate in the admission was not in the interest of the that the state, at no stage of way and that all problems related to cause of rains.