6000 CCTV cameras to be installed in Thane

Thane city, known as Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s bastion, will soon be covered with a dense network of CCTV cameras on the lines of Mumbai, the government on Friday approved the installation of 6051 CCTV cameras in the city. At present there are about 950 functioning CCTV cameras in the Commissionerate from Thane city to Ulhasnagar, including areas like Bhiwandi and Kalyan.

In comparison, in 2016, Mumbai Police installed a network of 5,000 CCTV cameras at 1,500 locations. Currently Thane Municipal Corporation has provided 350 cameras out of which about 150 are working well. Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation has 971 CCTV cameras out of which 700 are working well. Last year, the Thane Police launched the ‘Har Ghar Camera’ campaign, urging Thanekars to install CCTV cameras at their residences.

After the 26/11 terror attacks of 2008, the Maharashtra government took steps to improve the existing security infrastructure. One of the decisions was to equip Mumbai and other cities with a CCTV camera network for which a high-powered committee was formed in 2011. Subsequently, in 2016, a network of 5000 CCTVs at 1500 locations became operational in Mumbai.

However, there were no developments in this regard in Thane. A committee headed by Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Sujata Saunik approved the proposal to include the Thane Police Commissionerate as part of security reforms, a change in the presentation made by the Thane Police last year. The order mentioned that the DGP’s office had recommended 5468 cameras at 1745 locations in Thane Police Commissionerate in October 2021. However, the state home department finally approved the installation of 6051 cameras at an estimated cost of ₹492 crore earlier this week based on the committee’s recommendation.