Patna, Dec. 1: Visitors at Patna zoo are now under the scanner with three closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras, installed at two gates of the zoo, becoming functional from today.

While one CCTV camera will be installed inside the ticket counter at gate number 1 tomorrow, six more will be added within the next few days. Authorities said the cameras will keep surveillance on the activities inside the zoo and keep a check on unruly visitors.

Zoo director Abhay Kumar told The Telegraph: “Two CCTV cameras at gate number 2 — one at the entrance gate and another inside the ticket counter — and a CCTV camera at gate number 1 became operational from today. The installation of a fourth camera inside the ticket counter at gate number 1 will be done by tomorrow. Patna zoo, spread over 153 acres of land, gets around 6,000 visitors everyday. This does not include the hundreds of morning walkers. This necessitates close surveillance on the movement of the people.”

All the 10 CCTV cameras are being installed in different parts of the zoo at a cost of Rs 2 lakh. “At present, we are focusing on the revenue generating spots at the zoo. So four cameras have been installed at the two gates. Six more cameras — another camera at gate number 1, one each at the toy railway station and the children’s park and three more at the aquarium house — will be installed in the next few days,” added Abhay.

The authorities, based on the response, can also install CCTV cameras near the different enclosures later, said the director.

The zoo’s move has received mixed response from residents and visitors at the zoo. “Installing CCTV cameras is a good initiative by the zoo authorities, as criminals often vandalise the premises or indulge in eve-teasing. The cameras can be more effective than deploying security guards at the entrance gates,” said Upendra Upadhaya, a visitor at the zoo.

Youngsters differed, though, on the count of privacy. A student of College of Commerce, who did not want to be named, said: “The zoo is one of the few places where young couples can spend some quality time with each other. If cameras are installed all over the place, how can they move around inside the zoo freely?”