Keonjhar: Barbil authorities have decided to keep the bustling mining town under the surveillance of closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera to keep a tab on crime-mongers and lawbreakers.

With five huge iron ore mines, the Barbil region is one of the largest iron ore producing areas of the country. The mineral-rich belt also houses manganese mines.

"Hectic mining activities have brought in its wake influx of thousands of people to the township to earn their livelihood every daily. Along with that, crime mongers are also sneaking into the mining town, often triggering lawlessness. As the township is located very close to Jharkhand, lawbreakers from the neighbouring state masquerade as labourers and intrude into the urban area breaching peace in the region," said inspector of Barbil police station Jagannath Mallick.

Major portions of the town have been brought under CCTV camera surveillance. CCTV cameras have already been installed in strategic junctions, street corners, marketplaces and crime-prone areas. Mining companies are funding the project as part of their corporate social responsibility initiative, said another police officer.

With the installation of these cameras, crime scenes will be caught on record and it will be easier to arrest criminals. "During various police-public interactive sessions, we had also asked shop owners in marketplaces to install such cameras which would deter criminals to strike at their target," said the officer.

Occurrences of crimes - particularly robbery, snatching and extortion - is frequent in Barbil police limits. Some daring crimes - such as murders - took place in the town in past years. Due to lack surveillance, the cops often found it tough to crack the cases. The camera surveillance would come in handy to catch the offenders, hoped another police officer.