RAWALPINDI:Commissioner Liaquat Ali Chatha on Sunday asked the district administrations of Rawalpindi and Murree to start work on the Safe City Project as soon as possible to improve the security arrangements.

He stated this during a visit to Murree on Sunday morning where he reviewed the plan of Safe City Project.

Murree administration officials briefed the commissioner on the project and said there were many places in the resort town where the security situation will be improved with the help of close circuit TV cameras (CCTVs).

Later, the commissioner visited Kuldana, Jhika Gali, GPO Chowk and the Mall and directed the administration to work on the security project by installing cameras at various locations.

Punjab Safe City Authority waits for federal govt’s approval to launch security project, says official

“The monitoring of Murree can be improved with the Safe City Project. Protection of life and property of the citizens is the responsibility of the administration,” he said.

The commissioner directed the administrations of Rawalpindi and Murree to complete the Safe City Project as soon as possible.

On the other hand, the Rawalpindi administration and Punjab Safe City Authority are yet to sign an agreement for Safe City Project worth Rs23 billion and waiting approval of the federal government as the latter will provide a major chunk of the funding.

According to officials, Punjab Safe City Authority will install cameras on more than 1,000 locations for surveillance through a comprehensive survey. That includes the coverage of public institutions, key infrastructure, public roads, crime spots, VVIP routes, entry and exit points places.

The control and command centre will be a consolidated hub of integrated policing regulating swift emergency and police responses, including intelligent traffic management, dispatch of Punjab police and Dolphin Force, Rescue 1122, criminal identification/investigations, virtual surveillance and media monitoring.

A senior official of the district administration told Dawn that the total cost of the project for the garrison city was Rs23 billion and it will help the police and administration manage the law and order situation during Muharram, Eid Miladdun Nabi and cricket matches and other events.

He said the project would be started after the final approval of the federal government as the centre and the province would bear the cost.

He said as per plan, Safe City Project would be launched first in the garrison city and then in Murree or other parts of the Rawalpindi division.

Published in Dawn, July 10th, 2023