GUJRAT: Work on the first-ever Safe City project in Gujrat has been expedited and is expected to become functional in a week or so.

As per the official sources, at least 277 closed circuit television cameras (CCTVs) have been provided in the first phase of the project out of which around 245 are being installed at various important entry and exit points of the city as well as the district.

An official of local police told Dawn that a majority of security cameras were being installed in Gujrat city and five at major entry and exit points of the district. He said more than 90pc of the work has been done.

He said around 32 potable cameras will be used to monitor sensitive occasions apart from installed cameras. As per traffic load, busy squares of the city like GTS Chowk, Staff Gala on Sargodha Road, Jail and Kutchery chowks, Mehmda Chowk, Pakistan Chowk, Shah Faisal Gate, Kabli and Shahdaula gates of the waller city as well as Shaheen and Hariywala Chowks along with Gujrat bypass have been selected as traffic sensitive locations for the installation of cameras.

Official sources said that in the second phase the security cameras might also be installed in other major towns of the district such as Jalalpur Jattan, Lalamusa, Kharian, Dinga, Sara-i-Alamgir and Kunjah.

A control room to monitor the safe city cameras round the clock has been set up in the district police complex where Gujrat district police officer Dr Mustanser Atta Bajwa is keeping an eye on progress of the project.

Sources in local administration said that the Punjab chief minister Maryam Nawaz might formally inaugurate the project in Gujrat.

Published in Dawn, November 7th, 2024