Is it time to have a sharper third eye?

Resident welfare associations across Chennai are bringing their CCTV systems up to date

Last month, members of Sundara Murthy Vinayagar Koil Street in Triplicane were convinced that the CCTV system had to be upgraded after a two-wheeler went missing from the area. Although the bike was found after a long search by the police, the CCTV camera could not capture the thief’s image due to poor image quality.

A growing number of resident welfare associations in Chennai are revisiting their closed circuit television (CCTV) surveillance systems to see if they are past their sell-by date. Or, if they could be replaced with the latest technology.

IP-based cameras that are wireless and make it possible to view goings-on in real-time from any location are an adaptation. So are CCTVs with storage on cloud.

Committee members of Anna Nagar Western Extension Residents Welfare Association (Phase II) have so far collected ₹ 6 lakh from its residents to give the surveillance system in the colony an overhaul.

In 2011, the Association invested in 16 CCTV cameras to watch over the roads and junctions in the colony. Over the years, the cameras have been effective in checking vehicular thefts, but the Association has had to dig deep into its pockets to keep these gadgets working. A maintenance contractor was engaged.

“During Vardah in 2016, some of the cameras stopped working and we had to spend ₹ 2 lakh to take up the repair work,” says V Rajagopal, president of the Association.

Over the years, finding spare parts for the cameras had also become a challenge. Rajagopal makes a mention of cameras that used to rotate 180 degrees, now these have now become obsolete as sourcing spare parts for them is a challenge.