A CCTV camera installed in a lane in FE Block. (Below) Images from that camera and three others being screened in the community hall as Calcutta police commissioner Surajit Kar Purakayastha addresses the gathering. Pictures by Saradindu Chaudhury

The lanes of FE Block might soon get monitored on close-circuit television (CCTV) cameras. At a post-Diwali gathering in the block’s community hall on Sunday, CCTVs were demonstrated in the hope that residents see the need for installing the system and come together to fund the same.

Four CCTV cameras were installed that day — one inside the community hall overlooking the audience, one at the entrance of the hall, a third overlooking the road outside the entrance and the last one in the lane going right from that road. A TV installed in front of the audience screened live images from the four cameras.

Among the guests at the event was Calcutta police commissioner Surajit Kar Purakayastha, who lauded the effort to install CCTVs. “In rural areas, residents often perform night patrol duty to ensure safety. The urban counterpart of that could be CCTVs. They can help both prevention and detection of crime. An Alipore neighbourhood has already installed 250 CCTVs and I’m happy to see FE Block trying to implement a similar model. Hopefully this will encourage other blocks in Salt Lake to follow suit,” he said.

Besides the CCTVs maintained by Bidhannagar Commissionerate, Ward 9 (comprising AB, AC and AD blocks) installed eight cameras at their entry/exit point last January. “The crime rate has gone down significantly in our ward since the installation,” says councillor Anindya Chatterjee. “Just one case of snatching was reported in October. We handed three hours of relevant footage to the police and the snatchers were eventually arrested.”

“A fool-proof surveillance of FE Block would require 36 cameras at entry/exit points and parks,” said Kamal Kishor Rathi, CEO of World of Technology, a Kankurgachhi-based IT and security solutions company that had installed the CCTVs for demonstration.

He said the cameras would be strong enough to zoom into the number plates of passing vehicles during the day. “At night they would show black and white images,” he said. “The footage can be transmitted to a website, the password of which would be available to a select few.”

The police has a word of advice for the block. “The height at which the camera should be installed depends on the type of the camera but ideally it should be between 10 and 12 ft. Otherwise, it would fail to record faces or licence plates as was the case in Ward 9,” an officer said.

Rathi estimates the above system to cost Rs 25 lakh but those behind the initiative are not worried. “There are residents in our block who can fund the entire project single-handedly. But we don’t want that,” said Rohit Tulsian, one of the men behind the project.

“The purpose of today’s demonstration was to unite residents in seeing the benefits of CCTVs. We shall request Salt Lake FE Block Residents’ Association to now send out circulars asking residents to donate any amount they wish to towards this scheme.”

Residents at the meet seemed ready to pay for their safety. “CCTVs are the best defence against theft and chain snatchings. We want to feel safe while walking on our roads,” said Suchita Goenka, a resident. Sarika Changowala added: “I am ready to pay for safety. Surely we residents can cancel our annual vacation for one year and donate that money for CCTVs.”

Tulsian hopes to cover half the block with CCTVs by the year-end. “It would be our new year gift to residents,” he smiles.