Catch them ‘live’. This was obviously the mantra behind the decision to instal CCTV cameras at some of the strategic locations in Imphal to make the security agencies more effective in tackling crimes in the capital city. This was way back in 2011, but as is the wont with anything that has to do with the Government, most of the CCTV cameras installed at these places went kaput from the day they were installed. Just 24 hours after the new BJP led Government ordered the probe into the process of procuring the CCTVs, the State Government issued another order to constitute an inquiry panel to investigate what went wrong with all the traffic light signals that have been put up in the capital city. Good move, if one may add. A sure sign that no thoughts were given when these gadgets were installed and in the process it was the security of the people that was compromised. Wonder why such an inquiry process was not instituted when the State was under the Congress rule at that point of time. Remember one is talking abut what happened back in 2010/2011. However the present BJP led Government also needs to keep in mind that the probe process should not be reduced to an exercise in witch hunting or seeking to settle political scores with anyone. Let there be a probe and penalise the guilty, if any, but do not politicise the issue. This should be the stand of the State Government.
The Sangai Express has written enough on how the process to instal the CCTV cameras at some key locations in Imphal and the traffic lights at the important traffic points has been reduced to one big joke. But as usual, the Government of the day refused to pay any heed and making things worse was the fact that the reports and the commentaries were ignored nonchalantly. With a new Government in place now, under the BJP, the Government seems to be at least making some attempts to right the wrong of the past and it is here where it becomes very important to keep in mind that the exercise is not reduced to a political vendetta. Establish the truth, is the stand of The Sangai Express and then act accordingly. It is also important for the Government to ensure that the probe is not reduced to a status where it is all hype with little substance. No point in making the inquiry process a joke if responsibilities cannot be fixed. Or if there was no foul play, this too should be made clear to the people. Only a few days old and the BJP led Government seems to be on the right track to cleanse some of the rot it has inherited from the previous Government, but it should be kept in mind that correcting any of the wrongs of the past should not be reduced to an exercise in witch hunting. As things stand today, the CCTV cameras and the traffic signals are nothing much more than decorative pieces and this is what is unacceptable.
Source: The Sangai Express
