Sindh government has paid more than Rs 3 billion to the National Radio & Telecommunication Corporation (NRTC) for the execution of Karachi safe city project, with installation of 1,044 new surveillance cameras and upgrade of 256 old ones.
Total 1,300 cameras would be installed in the first phase. Among these 1,300, 1,044 would be new and the rest 256 are the old ones which would be upgraded. These 1,300 cameras would be installed at 300 sites in districts South, East, Malir and Korangi.
Karachi has officially initiated the first phase of a safe city project with five poles now laced with 25 surveillance cameras. As per Asif Ijaz Sheikh, Director General of the Sindh Safe Cities Authority, the project intends to improve security through live monitoring across key locations in the city.
A total of 43 poles have been installed so far, and cameras will feed live footage to the Central Police Office Command and Control Center, CPO. The S4 control room of the CPO will highlight real-time footage to support local law enforcement in minimizing crime and improving public safety.
The first phase is considered to be an important milestone in the efforts of the city to improve security. The project, once fully operational, is anticipated to widen its reach with more cameras and advanced monitoring technology across Karachi. Home Minister Zia-ul-Hassan Langer declared the launch of the initiation of the Karachi city project as one of the safest cities in the country. The project is worth over Rs 3 billion and is anticipated to be completed in two phases. The first phase is anticipated to be completed within 12 months.
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Zia-ul-Hassan Langer claimed that the project will not only minimize crime rate but also assist in reducing criminal elements. He further claimed that the second phase of the project is anticipated to emphasize expanding its scope to other cities in Sindh after its successful execution in the city of Karachi. He further showcased satisfaction with the performance of the police and acknowledged that while there is still room for improvement, the situation has improved massively as compared to the past. After fully operational implementation of the first phase, the police are anticipated to be capable of reducing 50% of crimes in the whole port city.
The KSC project is considered to be a far more modern, bigger project than compared to the Islamabad Safe City and Lahore’s Safe City project system. The government took around about 8 years to fully adopt it. As a chief minister, Syed Murad Ali Shah ratified funding of around Rs 5.6 billion in the month of February to initiate the first phase of the project in the red zone and airport corridor on a government-to-government basis between the Telecommunications Corporation, NRTC, Sindh Police and National Radio under the Ministry of Defense Production.
Sindh Safe City Authority (SSCA) Director General Asif-Edal Sheikh and NRTC Managing Director Brigadier Asim Ishaque signed the agreement for better fund management project has been broken down into five phases and it will be implemented on a turnkey basis.
Each phase is not dependent on any other phase. The KSC project is intended to install 12,000 cameras in all five phases across only 2400 sites. This extensive surveillance network is anticipated to produce vast amounts of data, facilitating quick analysis and improving the efficiency of law enforcement operations. Digital forensics components of the project will further assist in the investigation and analysis of incidents while creating a robust crime prevention system.
The project will execute ANPR and FR to find individuals and vehicles assisting in crime prevention. Tap ITS to evaluate and manage traffic, reduce congestion violations, and use digital surveillance to allow predictive policing, assisting law enforcement to pre-empt and address potential appearing threats.
SSCA Director General Asif Ijaz Sheikh had earlier discussed with the Express Tribune that the Authority will initially have around about 1,000 staff, 200 motorbikes, 6 drones, and 110 vehicles. A plot, which is spread over 5,000 square yards, has been given to the SSCA complex on Sharia Faisal near Saddar Police Station, where all about nine floors with a two-floor basement are anticipated to be built within two years. Three floors, second, third, and fourth, have been check marked for installing the largest screen of 50 by 80 feet in the country, he claimed.