Defunct CCTV Cameras in Perambur and Other Chennai Areas Raise Safety Concerns

A large number of public CCTV cameras installed across Chennai neighbourhoods, including Perambur, Ramapuram, Purasawalkam, and Vyasarpadi, have become defunct, leaving residents deeply concerned over public safety and crime monitoring.

The surveillance devices were originally set up as part of the city's Third Eye Project and the Smart Wi-Fi Surveillance initiative under the Nirbhaya Scheme to improve public safety. However, many of these devices are currently damaged, lopsided, or completely obscured by overgrown trees.

Residents report that the dysfunctional infrastructure has left several key roads, junctions, and public spaces without effective monitoring. This lack of coverage has severely undermined local efforts to deter criminal activities and respond quickly during emergencies.

In multiple localities, cameras situated near TASMAC bars have been vandalised by drunken individuals. Because the public surveillance network is non-operational, police investigating local crimes are routinely forced to ask residents for CCTV footage from private cameras installed at their homes.

Community members have voiced frustration over relying on private systems despite public expenditure on government infrastructure. C Raghukumar, convener of the Perambur Neighbourhood Development Forum, noted that public surveillance cameras were installed using taxpayers' money and questioned why residents are forced to supply private footage. He added that numerous criminal cases in the area remain unsolved due to the lack of usable footage from government-installed cameras.