Projects worth Rs 100 crore or more to be under CCTV monitoring

NEW DELHI: The government will monitor all construction projects worth Rs 100 crore or more through a closed circuit camera (CCTV) system at a central command room, a move aimed at restarting and speeding up projects during the lockdown.

The Centre is likely to initiate construction activities in ‘green’ and ‘orange’ districts—areas where there have been no Covid-19 cases for 14-28 days—in a staggered manner in June.

According to sources, the Centre would issue guidelines to start work on these projects by mid-May. These may include use of available labourers within the states and the need to ensure proper food and shelter near the work site. “Under lockdown, it has become difficult to monitor these projects as field staff cannot visit the sites,” a senior official told ET. “At the same time, there would be cost and time over runs as we have got a major setback because of Covid-19 outbreak. In the absence of field staff, it becomes even more imperative to have a central monitoring system.”

The government would install CCTV cameras—five to 10 per location—to keep a track of the work site. The feed from CCTV cameras would be monitored at a command and control centre at CPWD in New Delhi. “The zonal offices would also have small monitoring stations so that labour issues, hygiene-related problems and other glitches can be sorted out,” said the official.