Daily Times

Asserting that ensuring peace in Karachi and elsewhere in Sindh was a priority for the provincial government, Sindh Chief Minister (CM) Syed Murad Ali Shah on Thursday said that 400 latest cameras had been installed at different spots in the province to monitor the security situation on roads.

Addressing the inaugural ceremony of S-4 project of Karachi Safe City and Sindh Surveillance System in Karachi, the chief minister said that the latest system had also been installed at 40 toll plazas of the province for security purposes. “The cameras installed at these plazas are also equipped with the facility of night vision,” he informed.

He said that the installation of cameras would help the Sindh government control the activities of outlaws in the province by ensuring monitoring of the entry and exit points. Murad said with the installation of the system two programmes of automatic number-plate recognition and face identification programme will work together to control crime and criminal activities. He said that a smart surveillance system could be helpful in arresting over 80,000 absconding criminals in the province.

Earlier, Sindh home minister and the provincial inspector general of police (IGP) Ghulam Nabi Memon welcomed Murad on arrival at the IGP office. He was also given a briefing at the CPO’s Command and Control Room. As many as 1,044 new surveillance cameras have been installed while 256 old ones have been upgraded under the Karachi Safe City Project, which has been finally launched after a delay of eight years.

In the first phase, the Red Zone [a term used for mostly south district areas where key government buildings, foreign consulates, Sindh Assembly, CM House, Governor House and other important structures are situated, would be covered. A total 1,300 cameras would be installed in the first phase. Out of these 1,300, 1,044 would be new and the rest 256 are the old ones which would be upgraded.” These 1,300 cameras would be installed at 300 sites in districts South, East, Malir and Korangi.