Title - CCTV cameras point at roof, reflect apathy

NEW DELHI  : The safety audit team found that 10 of the 152 CCTV cameras installed at the New Delhi railway station last year were defective.And several others needed refocusing as they showed either the roof or the floor, thus reflecting the manner in which the gadgets at the station are being monitored.  This was the state of affairs on January 9, the day the audit took place.Policemen monitoring the cameras also told the audit team that the station needs more CCTV cameras as the entire premises is not covered by the available number of electronic surveillance gadgets. Moreover, the parcel office is not at all under CCTV surveillance.“Some of the cameras require refocus as they were showing the roof or floor. The RPF staff on duty informed that they need more cameras to monitor the platfrom as range of cameras is 30 to 35 metres,” the audit report says.Officials, however, said the equipment is maintained regularly.“We keep getting reports from all the four major stations in the city about CCTV cameras every day. Any problem with an equipment is brought to the notice of the vendor responsible for maintenance,” said Anurag Sachan, divisional railway manager (Delhi).“As far as the question of some cameras not working with the right alignment is concerned, it is because the birds sit on them. At times, their alignment changes due to that. It will also be brought to the notice of the maintenance agency,” he said.