AGARTALA,August 24 (TIWN): Barely after six months of installation of CCTV cameras in some vital points in the heart of Agartala city, reportedly all of them have become defunct. The close circuit cameras went out order due to lack of proper maintenance.

The police department has installed some cameras to closely monitor rising crimes in the city. The procurement section of police department installed all cameras, at an estimate cost of above Rs 42 lakh. 

A senior official of procurement section unwilling to be identified said the all the camera’s performed well initially but due to negligence of the police department all them of became dyfunct. If all were  properly  maintained by the concerned authorities, than it would have reduced crime, violation of traffic rules  to large extent.

Many cameras still standing in different parts of the city too are defunct due to lack of maintenance. At a control room in the city, a computer screen showing live video feed showed blacked out. A police officer stationed at the control room said that the cameras had stopped working few days after installation. “There has been some trouble with the camera cables due to the poor condition of the road. It will take a while before they are replaced or repaired,” said the officer.

The maintenance of surveillance cameras placed by the police is carried out by  Delhi based company - Simco telecommunication . The police and the agency have had a few tussles over release of funds for maintenance work, affecting the functioning of surveillance cameras further.

The police are used to the faulty cameras by now. Officers refused to reveal exactly how many cameras placed in the city actually worked, but said that even the faulty ones played an important role as their presence deterred people from breaking laws.