Almost all the CCTV cameras at the headquarters of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) old building have been lying defunct for months putting the security of the building that houses the mayor's and civic chief's office at risk. As per reports, the CCTV cameras have not been functional after the civic administration failed to finalise the annual maintenance agreement of the same.
Scrambling to address the issue at the earliest, BMC has submitted a proposal for maintenance and reinstallation of 84 CCTV cameras in the building that was previously installed in 2016. The work will cost Rs 77 lakh to the BMC's coffer.
The proposal was tabled before the Standing Committee for approval on Wednesday. However the same has been left pending and will be discussed in the next standing committee meeting, said civic officials.
The old headquarters building was constructed during the British rule in India and has historical significance. As the headquarters of the corporation houses office of the mayor, BMC commissioner, chairman of various committees, many VIPs, political leaders who frequently visit the building.
Corporators have slammed BMC and its security department calling it their "lackadaisical and negligent attitude" for letting the CCTVs remain defunct. "The CCTVs installed in the BMC headquarters in 2016 to be up security in the building have been no operational and there are no records for how long it has been like that. Its maintenance contract expired, as a result, the contractor stopped maintaining the CCTV cameras in the building. It was for the civic administration to have renewed the contract and seek approval for the same before the previous contract was about to expire. This is a very serious issue," said Ravi Raja, Congress corporator and Leader of opposition in the BMC.
The old building was being renovated owing to which CCTV cameras were handed over to the security department. Hence nobody realised that the contract for maintenance of the CCTVs expired, leaving them defunct.
The BMC had invited tenders for the work in January 2020. After the completion of the tender process, the corporation shortlisted and appointed a firm named Samarth Security System Pvt. Ltd.
To renew the maintenance contract, a fresh agreement will be done and a contract of Rs 77,55,514 will be awarded to the firm, once the proposal is approved by the standing committee.
