LAHORE: The Punjab government on Tuesday promulgated an ordinance to make all departments concerned sit together under the banner of an authority and ensure transparent and quick establishment of a Rs10 billion sophisticated watch-and-react security system, initially in Lahore.

The Punjab Safe Cities Authority, to be established under the Punjab Safe Cities Ordinance 2015, will ensure establishment, development and maintenance of a command, control and communications system (IC3) in major towns in the province for people’s security.

The law is specifically (and initially) applicable to Lahore. Other cities will be covered from time to time through notifications.

Official sources said the authority had been created on the direction of chief minister who did not want police to solely handle the sophisticated method of policing in vogue in all major countries in the world, and to engage all departments concerned so as to save time being wasted in having the requisite approvals and expert opinion with regard to security issues.

The plan has three parts -- one is installing cameras everywhere in the city, second is to monitor the city through them and give information to police for action, and the third is the response itself. The key element is the police response to the digitally obtained information of a crime and its location.

The hi-tech nerve centre of the system is reportedly being established in Qurban Lines and international foreign and local firms are being shortlisted for providing the required equipment.

“This is highly advanced system which the chief minister wanted to be handled by all concerned. The authority will also bypass the delaying red tape,” an official said.

As per the ordinance, IC3 stands for Integrated Command, Control and Communication Centre to be established and operated by the authority. And its ancillary facilities include the facilities and equipment provisioned or developed by it, including fences, cameras, poles, wiring, antennas, surveillance systems, control rooms, generators, lights, fans etc.

The ordinance says, the chief minister shall be the chairperson of the authority. The vice chairperson shall be nominated by him. Its members shall include one MNA, three MPAS, including one woman, chief secretary, inspector general of police (IGP), secretaries of the home and finance departments, Punjab Information Technology Board chairman, heads of district police of the cities to which the ordinance shall apply, three eminent persons, including at least one woman from the general public or academia, having knowledge of and exposure to law enforcement or other related information technology based projects and the authority’s managing director.

The authority shall maintain and develop, command, control and communication centers and other related facilities, plan, construct and maintain IC3 for future expansion, sign contracts, grant licenses, leases, make other arrangements and perform all tasks necessary for efficient functioning of IC3, acquire, hold and dispose of property, arrange for effective security of equipment and other ancillary facilities, establish and maintain an effective oversight mechanism, direct any person or agency not to interfere in its infrastructure, facilities and smooth functioning, monitor and enforce contracts including concession agreements, licenses or leases entered into or granted by it.

The authority shall have an executive committee to be headed by the chief secretary. It shall steer and monitor the authority’s projects, coordinate between it and other public sector agencies.

A management committee shall be headed by the IGP. And the managing director of the authority shall be a DIG rank police official.

Published in Dawn, July 8th, 2015

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