Dharamshala to be first Assembly Constituency to get CCTV cover

DHARAMSHALA: Dharamsala would soon become the first Assembly Constituency in the country to be brought under 24/7 CCTV camera surveillance, Urban Development minister of Himachal Pradesh Sudhir Sharma said.

Work on the project will start in May and will be completed within six months. The entire project will cost few crore rupees, Sharma said.

"This project will help police keep an eye on almost every road of the constituency from their control room and guide the nearest mobile police unit to the incident site quickly," he said.

"This technology will also be strengthened by the public address system," the minister, who is also the MLA from Dharamshala, said.

"The vastness of this Valley makes it difficult to provide better police assistance to the locals as well as lakhs of domestic and foreign tourists that come to this place every year," Sharma said.

Bringing the entire Assembly Constituency under 24/7 camera surveillance will smoothen traffic flow, reduce road side crimes, he said.

In view of high rainfall in Dharamshala, the government has sanctioned Rs 5 crore to convert most of the coal tar roads into concrete ones, the maintenance of which is much easier, the minister said

"Nine connecting roads of the city has been identified for this," he said, adding, "Work on Khaniyara Road and Gurudwara Road has been completed and while is work at Ram Nagar and Shyam Nagar localities is going on."

Around Rs 7 crore is being spent to renovate roads leading to Mecleodganj, the seat of Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama, Sharma added.