Nagpur: The city’s CCTV surveillance system, once touted as the “third eye” of Nagpur, is now teetering on the edge of collapse. Out of the 3,682 cameras installed across the city for security, more than 1,500 are currently non-functional. Adding to the crisis, the maintenance contract with L&T — the company responsible for upkeep — ended on February 2, 2025. Although the company continued services in good faith until March 19, it has now fully withdrawn from operations.
Currently, the entire surveillance system is running in auto-pilot mode and could stop functioning altogether at any moment. The Nagpur Smart City project, which oversees the system, has temporarily hired some of L&T’s former staff, but they reportedly lack full technical expertise.
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The breakdown has had a direct impact on public safety. During recent communal violence and the Ram Navami processions, many areas lacked surveillance due to inactive cameras. For instance, of the 34 routes where Ram Navami processions took place, 200 cameras were not working. Smart City had to scramble and arrange makeshift fixes with help from different vendors.
In one recent incident involving communal unrest, cameras around the Mahal area — a known hotspot — were also inactive due to ongoing bridge construction. Temporary measures were put in place on the day of the violence to enable surveillance, and over 550GB of footage was handed over to the police for investigation.
The primary cause behind many cameras going offline has been damaged optical fiber lines, a byproduct of ongoing development works across the city. Restoration efforts are said to be underway, but without a new maintenance contract in place, the chances of a full revival soon are slim.
Despite the urgency, the tender process to appoint a new service provider is still in its initial stages. Meanwhile, both police and Smart City officials are grappling with security challenges and resource shortages.
