Digital vigil gets a push in Mahuwa
THIRD EYE CCTVs installed in panchayats, schools and police stations to ensure transparency and curb crimes
Digital surveillance has got a boost in Mahuwa assembly constituency in Dausa district with the installation of 500 closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras at key places, such as government offices, schools and police stations.
Last week, 50 Atal Sewa Kendras were electronically connected to the office of the block development officer (BDO), making it easy for officials sitting in Jaipur to keep tabs on the goings-on in the panchayats.
Rural development and panchayati raj minister Rajendra Rathore inaugurated CCTV cameras at the kendras in 50 panchayats and announced that the experiment would be replicated across Rajasthan.
Om Prakash Hudla, who represents Mahuwa in the assembly, spent ₹12.50 lakh from the MLA local area development fund for the project.
Before this project, Hudla had taken Mahuwa on the e-way in a big way. Schools, health care centres, police stations and government officers are fitted with CCTV cameras to ensure transparency and accountability. “We spent ₹50 lakh on setting up these cameras,” said Hudla. “Our target is to have 1000 CCTV cameras across the constituency.”
Inspired by digital India vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief minister Vasundhara Raje, the project aims to bring transparency in execution of government schemes, Hudla said.
On what prompted him to go for CCTV cameras, the MLA said, “I was a customs officer and while working at airports, I understood the mechanism and benefits of it (camera). Installation of cameras is not only helping in effective monitoring and transparency but also has curbed crime.”
Cameras were first installed in January 2016. They are connected with the SDM office and Hudla’s mobile from which he keeps a watch on happenings at different places.
“Even parents of students are given facility to link their mobiles or computers with cameras at schools,” Hudla said.
Three employees of a health centre were suspended when they were found drunk, he said, adding the digital surveillance system has helped curb crimes, especially theft cases.
“The system has increased students’ enrolment at schools and ensured better results. Attendance of patients at OPDs has increased; the system has come handy to check if bed sheets are changed daily at hospitals, and if sanitation is maintained. Corruption has also been curbed,” Hudla said.
The OPD attendance in 2015 was 1.85 lakh, which increased to 2.56 lakh. Cameras at major markets and crossings are connected with police stations, from where every movement can be monitored.