Now, CCTV must in office, temples and footage is government's property

Now, it is mandatory to install CCTV cameras at all commercial establishments, offices, religious places, hospitals, railway stations, bus stands, sports complexes, industries and other public gathering places, according to the Karnataka Public Safety (measures) Enforcement Act 2017. This rule will cover Bengaluru and other municipal corporations in other cities in the State.

The bill was passed in the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday, tabled by Law Minister T B Jayachandra, on behalf of Home Minister Dr G Parameshwar. During the debate, Opposition party member Vishveshwara Hegde Kageri asked if the bill was a result of several cases under investigation in the courts.

Responding to that T B Jayachandra said the bill aims at reducing crime, preventing terrorist and other illegal activities in the State. The CCTV should be installed at the owner's’ cost amounting between Rs 8000 to Rs 10,000. The government has the right to call for any footage needed for any investigation. Hence, it is mandatory to safe keep all footages for 30 days. Refusing to share the footage attracts a fine of Rs 5000, reports Kannada Prabha.

The bill also requires the institutions to file periodic reports to the respective police inspectors of their jurisdictions, stating that public safety measures instruments are in good working condition. Failing to report would attract a fine of Rs 2000 for the first time and Rs 4000 for the second time. The period of reporting is once every three months. The jurisdictional police inspector has the power to inspect the establishments to check if the public safety measures taken are in compliance.

• CCTV
• public safety bill