Murad approves safe city project to install 10,000 CCTV cameras

F.P. Report

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has approved Rs30 billion to launch Safe City Project under which 10,000 CCTV cameras would be installed in the city in three phases and each phase would be completed within 12 months starting from next financial year, 2021-22.

He took this decision here on Friday while presiding over a meeting to review progress of the Safe City Project. The meeting was attended by Minister IT Taimoor Talpur, Chief Secretary Umtaz Shah, Chairman P&D M. Waseem, ACS Home Usman Chachar, PSCM Sajid Jamal Abro, Secretary Finance Hassan Naqvi, Adl IG Special Branch/ Incharge Safe City Project Imran Yakoob Minhas, provincial head of NRTC Brig ( R) Nayar, GM NRTC Sohail Anjum and others.

The meeting was told that the NRTC has submitted Technical and financial proposals which needed to be evaluated by the evaluation committee. The chief minister approved the constitution of a nine-member technical committee under chief operating officer (CEO) of the safe city project to evaluate the NRTC proposal. He also approved the proposal of assigning the charge of CEO to Muquddus Haider and Chief Technical Officer to Ms Tabasum Abbsi.

Notifications for the evaluation committee, CEO and Technical officers would be issued. The Technical Committee will evaluate the technical and financial proposal in line with PC-I documents and would also evaluate the project phasing as recommended by NRTC in consultation with the P&D Department.

The Technical committee would also look after overall activities of the project execution. The chief minister approved the execution plan under which 10,000 cameras would be installed in three phases and each phase would be completed within the time frame of 12 months.

In the first phase cameras would be installed at all the entry/exit points of the city and in district South for Rs 9.9 billion.In the second phase cameras would be installed in three districts for Rs 9.8 billion. In the third and the concluding phase three more districts would be covered for Rs 9.7 billion.

The chief minister directed the finance department to arrange Rs10 billion for the first phase in the next financial year. “I want to start the project in the start of next financial year, 2021-22,” he said and also directed Chairman P&D Mohammad Waseem to start the approval of the PC-1 from all the relevant forums by the end of current financial year.

Shah was told that 8000 cameras would be 12 MP and 2000 of eight MP. In this way, 10,000 cameras would be installed at over 2000 locations with solar back up. There would be a Central and Regional Command Center and a Database Centers.Shah was told that at present 2196 cameras were installed at 538 locations in the city,Out of which 1201 belonged to KMC, 198 IT department, 155 to Sindh police.