The Delhi government is initiating a significant overhaul of its CCTV system to enhance public safety across the national capital. This revamp, managed by the Public Works Department (PWD), aims to strengthen security, particularly for women.

The government's plan includes installing 50,000 additional CCTV cameras throughout the city. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta announced this proposal during her budget speech, emphasizing the government's commitment to expanding CCTV coverage to improve security and surveillance in Delhi. The broader aim is to provide better access to CCTV footage for the police and establish a comprehensive citywide monitoring system.

Currently, discussions are in progress between the Delhi Police, PWD, and the Home Department to finalize the technical and logistical aspects of the project. The PWD aims to cover each market and Resident Welfare Association (RWA)-managed area with approximately 30 to 40 cameras. The government intends to improve the project by addressing problems and challenges encountered in previous installations, focusing on technical issues and optimal camera placement.

Since 2018, the PWD has already installed approximately 2.8 lakh CCTV cameras in two phases, with support from RWAs and market trader associations. Each assembly constituency has around 2,000 CCTV cameras under the existing setup. The existing cameras are maintained by Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL), with a central command center at the PWD headquarters monitoring the live feeds. The system stores footage for 30 days, with an additional 5-7 days of reserve backup, accessible to the PWD, police, district magistrates, and courts.

Since 2020, the CCTV network has assisted the Delhi Police in over 10,000 cases. The PWD has shared footage from more than 12,000 CCTVs with the police to date and has attended more than 10,000 court summonses with BEL. The installation of CCTVs across the city was initiated by the previous government, with the primary goals of improving women's safety and covering residential areas and markets.

A senior PWD official stated that CCTV footage is shared with the Delhi Police as electronic evidence in court and that the presence of cameras acts as a deterrent to criminal activities. Officials also noted that the surveillance system has helped detect fires, accidents, and medical emergencies, enabling quick responses from authorities. A senior police officer mentioned that CCTV footage has become primary evidence in most cases, helping to corroborate the identity of the accused.

As part of the upgrade, the government has restricted local access to CCTV feeds for homeowners, RWAs, and market associations. Currently, only the area district magistrate, Deputy Commissioner of Police, local police, and the PWD have access to playback and live views within WiFi range, as well as remote viewing without admin rights.

The Delhi government is also planning to develop a new software platform called the Delhi CCTV Monitoring System to track and monitor all cameras.