Finally, three villages at Elephanta island will get electricity CCTV cameras to keep an eye on Kharghar

Gharapuri island of Uran that houses Elephanta caves will finally get electricity.

The MSEDCL has sanctioned a project to provide electricity to the island.

The rock cut stone sculptures of Elephanta caves at Gharapuri island located in Uran taluka are known the world over for their architecture. It has been declared a world heritage by UNESCO. Despite this, the three villages of the island have no electricity.

The state government has sanctioned laying of electric lines at a cost of Rs16 crore. The work is expected to be completed in six months.

Uran council president Mahesh Baldi and Gharapuri’s former sarpanch Rajendra Padte followed up on the issue and demanded permanent electric power supply for Gharapuri.

Baldi said, “The absence of electricity on the island forced the children of the villagers to live in Uran, Panvel and Navi Mumbai for their education.”

Padte said the state government and the tourism department have been supplying electricity to the island for only two hours every day using a generator. “Earlier solar panels had been installed on the island but they did not work,” he said.

MSEDCL chief engineer Satish Karpe said there was a problem with laying electric cables because of JNPT port nearby.

“Hence, MSEDCL has now decided to lay submarine cables from Nhava to supply electric power,” said Karpe.

He added, “We recently called for tenders worth Rs16 crore for laying of the cables. The contract has been awarded to Cable Corporation company.”

The company will require two months to ready the cable.

“Once that is done, the work will be taken up. The work can anyway not be taken up immediately due to monsoon,” said Karpe.

Giving details of the work, Karpe said, “The cables will be laid 7 to 15 metres deep in the ocean. There will be digging work of 3 metre for laying the cable.”

He said, “Once the cables are laid, we will have to spend around Rs 2 crore to ensure supply of electricity to the island.”

The City and Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco) will commission 124 closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras that it has installed in Kharghar on Monday.

The cameras will help beef up security in the node. It will also help the police identity and trace criminals.

The cameras will be commissioned on Monday by Navi Mumbai police commissioner Hemant Nagarale.

A special control room set up on the second floor of CBD Belapur railway station complex will also be inaugurated. The command centre will be manned by Cidco and police officers.

Senior public relations officer of Cidco Mohan Ninawe said, “Kharghar is a fast developing node with the population touching almost 3 lakh. There has also been a rise in the number of tourists after Central Park and the golf course was built. The Gram Vikas Bhavan too is near Central Park.”

There was a need to tighten security as the node is developing fast.

The work on Belapur to Pendhar metro rail is in progress. A nature park is being developed on Kharghar hill. A 1.5-km skywalk from Kharghar railway station to Bank of India is being built. The node has more than 40 schools.

Ninawe said, “This has also led to rise in criminal activities in the node. Cidco has decided to install cameras in Kharghar at golf course, Central Park, Gram Vikas Bhavan, Bank of India, Hiranandani bridge, Utsav chowk, Taloja central jail, gurdwara and so on.”

He said, “Cidco is implementing its CCTV city control project to curb crimes and ensure law and order in Cidco’s South Navi Mumbai smart city project.”

Ninawe said the planning agency will install 574 CCTV cameras at 293 places in the various nodes of Kharghar, Kalamboli, Panvel, New Panvel, Ulwe, Dronagiri and Kamothe that fall in the South Navi Mumbai smart city project under Cidco jurisdiction.

He added, “The CCTV project will cost Cidco Rs108 crore and will prove to be of immense value to the police which had requested the facility. The locations for the CCTV cameras have been finalised after joint inspection by CIDCO and police officials to ensure maximum coverage and constant watch on the proceedings in the city.”

A total of 268 CCTV cameras have been installed by NMMC in Navi Mumbai region from Airoli to Belapur. It was the first city in the state to do so, even before Mumbai. It has helped the Navi Mumbai police crack several cases and also sending e-challans to traffic violators.