Guwahati’s smart CCTV surveillance project hits 50% milestone

Staff reporter

Guwahati: Guwahati’s ambitious city-wide CCTV surveillance project, designed to enhance public safety and streamline traffic management, has reached nearly 50% completion, officials from Guwahati Smart City Limited (GSCL) confirmed on Monday.

The Rs 220 crore initiative aims to install 2,000 surveillance cameras across the city. To date, 100 CCTV cameras are operational, while cantilever poles, measuring 5 to 6 metres, have been erected at 650 strategic locations, including Chandrapur, Khanapara, and Maligaon.

A senior GSCL official said, “Surveys for the remaining cameras have been completed at over 800 sites, with active support from the city police. We are on track to finish the entire project by September this year.”

The surveillance network will be managed through an Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC), which will be located at the Commissioner of Police’s office in Khanapara. The site for the ICCC has already been surveyed.

Despite steady progress, the project has encountered logistical challenges, including low-tension power lines maintained by Assam Power Distribution Corporation Limited (APDCL) that have complicated pole installation. Additionally, excavation work has been delayed due to underground water pipelines operated by Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) and Guwahati Jal Board (GJB).

“We are coordinating closely with APDCL, GMC, and GJB to overcome these issues. Most work is done at night, and we secure necessary permissions in advance. APDCL has also agreed to temporarily relocate power lines wherever required,” the GSCL official added.

The surveillance system will incorporate a combination of fixed-location bullet cameras and advanced Pan-Tilt-Zoom (PTZ) cameras. PTZ cameras, equipped with artificial intelligence features, offer a focusing range of 400 to 500 metres, making them ideal for monitoring large public spaces and busy junctions. In contrast, bullet cameras provide coverage within a range of 14 to 15 metres.

For operational reliability, all cameras will be connected through underground Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) cables, transmitting both data and electricity over a single fibre-optic line. Each installation site will be equipped with a junction box containing a network switch, fibre junction switch, and an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) unit to ensure uninterrupted functionality during power outages.

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