The State government is installing around 300 close circuit cameras with facial recognition software all over Shillong city and the work is expected to be completed by July this year.
Informing this today, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said that Rs 150 crore has been sanctioned under the Smart City project for setting up of the Integrated Control and Command Centre (ICCC) to operate such surveillance cameras.
He also said that installation of such CCTV cameras will help act as a strong deterrent to law breakers.
“Work is already on and in different junctions you must have seen high level cameras being set up. There will be close to 300 cameras all over the city and this will also be enhanced by facial recognition software and the ICCC and IT Park is being set up, which we expect will be inaugurated in the month of July,” Sangma said.
According to him, the presence of CCTV cameras will be a strong deterrent “as people know they are being watched.”
“We assure that this will help in reducing these kinds of incidents and other crimes in the future and obviously it will help the State government and police specially to gather evidence in different situations,” Sangma said.
“We cannot have cameras in every corner because of limitations but we will start with these numbers and we will keep expanding them in the future,” he added.