800 CCTV cameras removed from Delhi after Barack Obama's departure, Centre to Delhi High Court

NEW DELHI: Nearly 800 CCTV cameras were removed from the city once US President Barack Obama left Delhi, the Centre admitted before the Delhi high court on Friday.

Since the cameras were rented, these had to be returned, it explained, prompting the court to slam the government for "not being bothered" about security of women and children.

“Why can't you hire cameras for safety of women? Else buy and put them. Now that we have crime mapping of the city and it's vulnerable spots, these areas need better street lights and cameras but the Centre is not bothered,“ a bench of Justices Badar Durrez Ahmed and Sanjeev Sachdeva said .

The court was also unhappy with the "lack of progress" on the part of the home ministry and Delhi Police in creating more posts in the force. “Home ministry does not want to do it for some odd reason. If people want more police personnel, how does it hurt you? Taxpayers are paying for it....Nothing is improving. Crime is going from bad to worse," it noted.

The high court asked for a comprehensive affidavit by March 13 from the Centre and Delhi Police, indicating steps to induct additional personnel into the force.

It also noted that “one of the stumbling blocks“ delaying starting of new forensic labs is the “inertia of DDA and PWD“. It issued notices to DDA and PWD to explain the court the reasons behind their “inertia“.

The court was hearing an application filed by amicus Meera Bhatia seeking that 15,000 CCTV cameras installed for Obama's security should not be removed in light of incidents like the Nirbhaya gang rape. In response, additional solicitor-general Sanjay Jain clarified that the CCTVs hired were numbered 850 and not 15,000.