32,000 Faulty Cameras, 15,000 Missing: Delhi's CCTV Network Under Scrutiny

The Delhi government is set to launch a comprehensive technical audit of the city's vast CCTV surveillance network amid growing concerns over faulty implementation and equipment failures in a flagship project initiated by the previous administration, government sources said on Friday.

According to internal assessments, over 32,000 of the 2.64 lakh CCTV cameras installed across Delhi's 70 assembly constituencies have been found to be non-functional. In addition, more than 15,000 cameras that were part of the sanctioned count were never installed in the first place.

Sources said discrepancies have also been flagged in several constituencies where the actual number of installed cameras falls significantly short of the approved allocation.

In light of these findings, the current government has decided to conduct a full-scale technical audit of the project. The audit is expected to cover installation records, equipment functionality, vendor compliance, and data storage mechanisms, with the aim of identifying lapses and fixing accountability.

"This is a matter of public safety and taxpayer money," a senior government official said. "We are not just looking to fix what's broken but also to understand how such a large-scale lapse was allowed to happen. The audit will help us move forward with transparency and ensure the system works as intended."

The CCTV project, initially hailed as a major public safety initiative, was launched to enhance surveillance across residential and commercial areas, public parks, markets, and key intersections. However, the scale of the dysfunction revealed in recent internal reviews has raised serious concerns about project oversight and contractor performance.

The technical audit will be undertaken by an independent expert body, and the government is expected to issue fresh directives based on its findings.

Officials added that further action, including possible penalties or legal proceedings against defaulting contractors, will be decided once the audit is complete.