CCTV failure hampers crime probes in Chitradurga

CHITRADURGA: Chitradurga city has experienced a major shortage of CCTV cameras for several years. The city faces high traffic, population density, and tourist influx daily. The lack of surveillance has hindered police investigations, particularly after existing CCTV cameras at crucial locations became non-functional.
Despite high traffic volumes and dense population, neither the local authorities, police, nor the district administration implemented their surveillance systems in Chitradurga. Several sensitive locations in the city require CCTV cameras for traffic management and the prevention of undesirable incidents.
Of the 32 CCTV cameras installed by CMC Chitradurga across the city, more than 20 were non-functional for a year, hampering police investigations into crimes, including chain snatching, theft, and violence. There remains uncertainty regarding responsibility for repairs.
Major junctions, including Gandhi, Kanaka, Sangolli Rayanna, SJM, Madakari, and Ambedkar circles, experience heavy vehicle density, accidents, and chain-snatching incidents. This has led to increased crimes, theft cases, and traffic rule violations in Chitradurga. Daytime robberies on old National Highway 48 have risen in recent months. Police face difficulties solving cases without visual evidence from CCTV cameras.
The absence of street lights under the old national highway flyover has led to increased harassment by troublemakers. Multiple chain-snatching incidents have been reported, causing women to fear travelling alone on JCR Road and Madihalli Road. Several garment factories operate nearby, where numerous women employees face difficulties commuting independently.
"Due to the lack of CCTV cameras, many thefts are reported at commercial establishments. However, police are helpless and cannot trace many cases because there is no visual evidence. This shortcoming helps miscreants escape after committing crimes in the city. District administration should initiate action as soon as possible," appealed Ramesh K, a resident of Veera Madakari Nagar in the city.
SP Ranjit Kumar Bandaru said, "We plan to get adequate grants to install CCTV cameras. We should install CCTV cameras in all areas in the city. I will write a letter to the deputy commissioner soon for grants," he added.