Nagpur: In a major blow to urban surveillance, nearly 1,500 of the 3,600 CCTV cameras installed across Nagpur under the Smart City project are currently non-functional. The disruption is largely attributed to ongoing construction activities for roads, bridges, and flyovers by various agencies including MahaMetro, PWD, NHAI, and MahaRail, which have damaged the camera cables.
To tackle the issue temporarily, five workers have been deployed to restore the damaged cameras. Officials claim that around 700 cameras have been repaired so far, but long-term maintenance is still pending. A tender process has been floated for a year-long Notification of Disturbance (NOD) contract, where the agency quoting the lowest repair costs will be assigned the job.
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26 May 2025
Damages and compensation
The extensive damage to the city’s CCTV infrastructure has prompted the Smart City administration to recover Rs 1.5 crore from MahaMetro as compensation. Additionally, demands of Rs 3 crore each have been made from the PWD and NHAI. In Mahal area, the construction of a flyover led to the destruction of cable lines and junction boxes, causing losses estimated at Rs 50 lakh.
While temporary repairs continue, a dedicated agency is yet to be finalized for permanent maintenance of the camera network.
Security gaps during emergencies
The malfunctioning cameras have already led to security failures during crucial incidents. On March 17, communal tension erupted in parts of the city including Geetanjali Talkies, Dosar Bhavan, and CA Road. More than 15 locations failed to transmit live feed due to software glitches, leaving police command control rooms without real-time footage.
Similarly, ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit on March 30, around 194 CCTV cameras were reportedly non-functional. Though temporary repairs were carried out under the supervision of then Smart City CEO Abhijit Chaudhari using a private agency, the lapse raised serious concerns about preparedness.
Guardian Minister steps in
In a meeting held on February 5 at the Mantralaya in Mumbai, the Guardian Minister announced a Rs 10 crore fund for the upkeep and repair of the Smart City infrastructure. He criticized L&T, the company that installed the cameras, for its negligence in ensuring maintenance over the promised 10-year period.
A review revealed that over 2,000 cameras were offline due to poor maintenance. The Guardian Minister directed officials to expedite repairs and hand over surveillance maintenance to a new, more reliable agency.
