PUNE: For increased safety and security in the State, Home Minister Anil Deshmukh on Saturday said residential buildings will be asked to instal CCTV cameras at entry and exit gates. He was addressing a press meet at the Police Commissioner’s Office.
Deshmukh said that while there are 10,000 CCTV cameras in Mumbai there are over 1,300 CCTV cameras in Pune. “We will soon make changes in building rules and ask new and old residential buildings to instal CCTV cameras. The initiative will help increase surveillance and we will bring artificial intelligence to tackle the feeds from the footages,” he added.
The minister reviewed initiatives of the city and rural police. Pune Police Commissioner K Venkatesham and Pune Superintendent of Police (Rural) Sandeep Patil were present.
Deshmukh said manpower of over 15,000 will be recruited including 8,000 police officials and 7,000 security guards to strengthen the current work force of the city police. “There is a demand from hospitals and organisations for security guards and so we have decided to augment our police strength and recruit new force,” added Deshmukh.
About the transfer of Elgar Parishad case to National Investigation Agency, Deshmukh said he wanted the State police to investigate the matter. “The Centre should have taken the State into confidence before transferring the case to NIA. The NIA has taken over investigation from the state police now. I can only say that the chief minister has a right to overrule me and so the case was transferred to NIA. We are taking legal opinion whether the State can form a Special Investigation Team to investigate the case,” added Deshmukh.
About the ongoing probe by an expert committee into the alleged phone tapping of political leaders, Deshmukh said he is yet to receive the final report.
Disha Act
Deshmukh said that following the Hinganghat incident in which a college lecturer succumbed to burns after being set ablaze by her jilted suitor in Wardha district, a team led by him, comprising additional chief secretary (Home), director-general of police, law and judiciary secretary, will visit Andhra Pradesh on February 20 to understand the provisions of the Disha Act of Andhra Pradesh to bring a similar law in Maharashtra. “We will study the success of Disha Act, which has the provision to punish the accused in crimes against women in 21 days,” he added.
