However, slow progress on the Safe City Project is a tremendous hindrance to the government’s initiative in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which is aimed at making law and order much improved. Initially announced for Peshawar in 2009 and Parachinar in Kurram district in 2017; these projects have hardly progressed into action, having minimized the practical development, although millions of rupees were allocated annually.
A unit dedicated to this function was set under a Deputy Inspector General in Peshawar within KP Police; otherwise, it remains at low levels. Contrarily, similar projects in Islamabad and Lahore finished years ago. Even very several districts within Punjab related to their development have been caught up with this kind of technology, while Peshawar remains behind with nothing.
Officials say that the immediate plan could be to install ‘a few hundred CCTV cameras’ at strategic points in Peshawar and nearby localities. This would be significantly cheaper than the complete Safe City project, but could in fact go a long way towards better security. These cameras can cover entry and exit points, public gathering areas, trade centers, and major offices, thereby preventing terrorist attacks as well as street crimes.
In recent times, several important cases have been successfully solved through the application of technology like using CCTV camera or mobile phone data. Therefore, such surveillance will yield fruitful benefits. CCTV cameras help not only in identifying the offenders but also in monitoring suspicious movements before a crime occurs. Secondly, the installation of cameras will enhance the interaction at the police check post reducing the feeling of insecurity on both sides.
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Because of the budget constraint surrounding the Safe City Project, officials might have some consonance to believe that they can get at least on partial solution with CCTVs. These Camera installations would be way cheaper than entire projects but would certainly have some significance toward public safety.
The funds have attracted quite a huge disbursement for the projects. But so far, they have not led to any developments on the ground. Over 6,000 CCTV cameras were supposed to be installed in Peshawar for improved law enforcement and public safety. For years, relevant planning for installations and meetings has yielded absolutely nothing. The project sits on the shelf, costing millions, without any outcome.
Phase-1 of the Safe City Project was supposed to be deployed in Hayatabad, but it is like the mega project, not real. The very sloppy progress of any such important safety measure just goes to show how unbothered government departments are regarding excising control and allowing employee induction as opposed to delivering rewarding programs at the expense of people’s well-being.