The Punjab and Haryana High Court has directed the Punjab government to release Rs 6.60 crore within 15 days for purchase of 1700 CCTV cameras for installation in all the police stations and premises of CIA staff across the state and asked it to complete the work within a period of one month thereafter. The directions were passed by the single bench of Justice Amol Rattan Singh during the hearing of a habeas corpus petition in which the High Court had directed both the Punjab and Haryana governments last year to install cameras in all the police stations, covering all entry and exit points and lock-ups, for verification of the statements made by the police on timing of the arrests. Punjab DGP Suresh Kumar, in an affidavit, had told the High Court that the amount has already been sanctioned by the Finance Department for the purpose of purchasing the cameras to be installed in 406 police stations in the State but the amount had “still not been released by the district treasury so as to be further transferred to the Punjab Information and Technology Corporation Limited, which is to purchase the cameras and install them.” “As regards the installation of CCTV cameras in the premises of CIA staff in different parts of the State, not even a mention has been made in the affidavit of the DGP, with no such mention also having been made in the affidavit earlier filed by the Additional Chief Secretary to the Government of Punjab, Department of Home,” the order dated February 12 passed by Justice Singh reads. While Additional Chief Secretary of the Home Department has now been directed to file an affidavit on the time-frame for installation of the CCTV cameras at the entry and exit points in CIA staff premises, the Additional Chief Secretary of the Finance department has also been asked to file a compliance report on the release of funds. The Haryana government has already informed the High Court that the CCTV cameras have been installed at 305 police stations of the state and the premises of the CIA Staff have also been equipped with same at the entry and exit points. The High Court in September had directed both the governments to also constitute respective committees which would go into the issue of practical implementation of the process of video recordings of arrests made by the patrolling units. For all the latest Chandigarh News, download Indian Express App

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