Following Wednesday’s serial blast in Mumbai, the state government has decided to install 5,000 closed circuit television cameras in the city and set up a four-layer backup communication system.
The idea of a back up communication system was mooted after chief minister Prithviraj Chavan himself faced problems in communicating with senior officers immediately after the serial blasts, informed a senior government official.
“The CM was in Mantralaya when the bombs went off at Zaveri Bazaar, Opera House and Kabutarkhana. Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, chief secretary Ratnakar Gaikwad and additional chief secretary (home) Umesh Chandra Sarangi were also in Mantralaya at the time. All of them got the news from television news channels, but none of them could contact any senior police officer for confirmation for at least 15 minutes due to network jam. Learning its lesson, the state has been decided to set up a communication back up that will have four layers,” the senior official said.
According to the official, the back up system will have four options that can be used in case of cellphone and landline network failure. One of the options will include satellite phones, which will be given to the Mantralaya control room, director general of police, Mumbai police commissioner and the BMC commissioner. Another option will be that of a radio wireless system for the entire state, which will be digitalised. There is another ultra-modern communication system in the pipeline, but details of it cannot be divulged due to security reasons.
The government has also decided to expedite the process of installing 5,000 closed circuit television cameras — the recommendation made by the Ram Pradhan Committee after the 26/11 terror attack in 2008, but which was never implemented.
When contacted, Mr Chavan confirmed the move to install 5,000 CCTV cameras in Mumbai.