Delhi High Court today came down heavily on the government and Delhi Police asking why they had not installed CCTVs to beef up security of women in the capital but had done so only for a visiting head of state.
"Buy and put up CCTV cameras. Why can't you hire cameras for safety of women? If you can do it for visiting heads of state, you can do it for women and children of the capital who want safety," a bench of justices Badar Durrez Ahmed and Sanjeev Sachdeva said.
The court also expressed unhappiness over the "lack of progress" on the part of the Centre and Delhi police in creating additional posts in the force, saying "none of you are interested. You do not want it. Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) does not want to do it for some odd reason."
It also asked why people in the government, including bureaucrats, were not thinking about the reasons behind rise in crime, especially in Delhi's peripheral areas, in order to curb it.
It also sought an action plan from Delhi police on where CCTV cameras can be "deployed" by "keeping in mind the crime mapping already done".
However, the court noted that some progress had been made with regard to the lab at Yashwant Place which, the Delhi government said, would be operational by March 31.
The court was hearing an application filed by advocate Meera Bhatia seeking that 15,000 CCTV cameras installed for US President Barack Obama's security should not be removed in light of several incidents like December 16 gangrape.
Replying to the application, Additional Solicitor General Sanjay Jain, appearing for government, said the CCTVs were only 850 not 15,000, and that they were hired.
To this the court asked why they cannot hire cameras for safety of the women and children.
It also asked why the authorities were not clearing the posts of 4700 additional police personnel in the Delhi police.
"Can't you see Delhi is in a serious problem. Anywhere you go, crime takes place. Lot of unemployment in peripheral area of the city is the cause of crime. There is a clash of culture in that area," the court said.
It also impressed upon the Centre "the need for creating additional posts in Delhi Police", saying it would go a long way in creating a sense of safety in Delhi, particularly among women and children.
"As far as Delhi police posts are concerned, assurances alone will not work. Government need to file an affidavit on the steps taken by them on the aspect of safety to the people of Delhi," the court said.
It also said it was not directing the authorities but requesting them to do something at the ground level.
"If you do it (work in regard to safety of women and children), then it will be a great help for the city," the court said, adding that it expected them to bulldoze the hurdles, like red-tape.
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