15 PMPML depots to get CCTV cameras

The Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited will install Close Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras to prevent the rising number of thefts from its fifteen depots in the city. As many as 12 lakh passengers travel by PMPML buses on any given day through its 1600 buses. According to the PMPML authorities, the CCTV cameras will be installed on a war footing basis, and they are trying to ensure that each depot has at least 32 cameras.

The main depots at Swargate, Katraj, Pune Railway Station, Pimpri and Bhosari, Narvir Tanajiwadi, Kothrud, Hadapsar, Bhekrai Nagar, Shewalewadi, Balewadi, Baner, Wagholi, Nigdi are being brought under the surveillance of high precision cameras equipped with night vision capabilities. According to PMPML, the decision has been taken after recent cases of security lapses at these depots.

Nitin Narvekar, joint MD, PMPML, said that the tender for installing CCTV cameras inside the PMPML bus depot has been initiated.

“During the next couple of weeks, CCTV cameras will be installed at all fifteen depots. This new surveillance system will bring a complete check of illicit activities, crimes related to women and thefts. The PMPML administration is taking serious steps to ensure the safety of women, passengers and their belongings,” he said.

The PMPML authorities came in for sharp criticism after it found that the Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) on the Swargate-Katraj route has transformed into a hotspot spot for criminals to rob citizens in the absence of dysfunctional and missing CCTV cameras at the stops. Both the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and the Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Ltd (PMPML) officials dodged the topic, shirking their primary responsibilities towards passengers.

An internal inquiry conducted by the administration has revealed that the passengers were targeted at bus stops at Swargate, Katraj, Deccan Gymkhana, Ganpati Matha bus stop, PMC headquarters, Pune Station and Khadki Bazar. A few spots like Swargate, Hadapsar, Shewalwadi, Marketyard, Balewadi, Baner, Narvir Tanajiwadi and Katraj were listed as risky.