Women’s safety: CCTVs to be mandatory in city shops

NEW DELHI: To make Delhi safe for women, the government has decided to make CCTVs mandatory in shops. The decision was taken at a meeting of the home ministry-appointed special task force on January 31, 2013. The three municipal corporations have decided to amend the trade licensing policy to include this clause.
North Delhi Municipal Corporation has issued orders to all the licencing departments to include the clause which make installation of CCTVs mandatory in all shops which are 250 sqm or bigger in size. The special task force was constituted after the December 16 gang rape to look into women safety issues.
Though the government is yet to issue an order in this regard, the municipal corporations have decided to incorporate the clause.

“We are in the process of revising the licencing policies . So, this clause can be incorporated easily. The shopkeepers will have to install the CCTVs and also keep the recording for at least 30 days. It will be mandatory for them to monitor the camera to see if there is any suspicious movement inside or outside the shop,’’ said a senior official of the North corporation.

Though most shops in major markets already have CCTVs, traders’ associations want the civic agencies to give tax benefits to encourage traders to install CCTVs and monitor movement in the market. In this regard, New Delhi Municipal Council had held a meeting with the traders’ associations of the area.
Sources say the civic agencies are not going to give tax benefits to traders for installing CCTVs.