BANGALORE: Recent terror
strikes on busy streets — be it Connuaght Place in New Delhi or
Dilsukhnagar in Hyderabad — have sharpened the focus on security at
markets.

Russell Market traders, who have rebuilt the market
after a fire gutted part of the landmark structure, have now sanitized
their marketplace against terror strikes by installing high definition
CCTV cameras.

The first lot of eight cameras was installed on
Sunday afternoon. The traders have already placed an order for 21 more
cameras and gradually the number will be increased to 40. Not just that,
within a week, a direct feed from all the CCTVs in the market will be
available at the Shivajinagar police station for monitoring the situation in the crowded market area.

The cameras were installed on the outer perimeter of the market,
covering all the entry and exit points. “This is just the beginning.
Every section of the market area will have four cameras each and it will
be linked to a control room, apart from the individual screens provided
for the traders to monitor their premises,” said Mohammed Idrees Choudhury, general secretary, Russell Market.

CCTV footage up to 15 days will be stored in a hard drive located in
the market premises and copies of these visuals will be made twice a
month for record purposes. “Also we will create a direct link to the
Shivajinagar police station and police will be given an IP address
through which they can monitor the situation at the market,” said Akmal
Pasha, Meltech computers and security system..

Though the CCTV
cameras are in place, the traders regret that the entire market is still
running on generators. On January 31, the BBMP council has passed the
resolution restoring the electricity and water connections to Russell
Market; however, the supply is yet to start.