NEW DELHI: The Inland Waterways Authority of India IWAI ) will monitor the upcoming dredging work in Ganga by getting the 24x7 live feed through CCTV cameras from different locations. This will be done to avoid frequent visits of officials to multiple sites including in remote areas and to stop contractors from making false claims.The pilot run of this camera-based live surveillance of construction and progress at Varanasi multi-modal hub has been successful. “We spent only Rs 8 lakh for putting the system in place, but the benefits are immense. The contractor cannot lie or make wrong claims. I can monitor works using my mobile phone and don’t need to carry out any surprise visit. Sometimes, it becomes difficult to reach remote locations and you have to plan your visit. Now there is less need to visit the sites as you can see what is moving and the live status of work,” IWAI chairman in-charge Prabir Pandey told TOI.He added the real benefit of the initiative will be during the dredging of Ganga, which will start soon. Pandey said there are some locations which are difficult to reach. The CCTV-based surveillance will help check how much silt is actually dredged and the authority hopes constant vigilance will expedite the work.IWAI has also decided to put CCTV-based monitoring systems for works that are on at full swing at three locations on Ganga - Sahibganj, Farakka and Haldia. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked all the infrastructure ministries to adopt technologies including live feed from CCTVs installed at the workplace for faster completion of works.IWAI is the nodal agency for development of inland waterways in India, which has gained momentum in the past four years. The Varanasi to Haldia stretch is developed as National Waterway-1 to make it navigable throughout the year both for cargo and passenger vessels.The government has earmarked Rs 5,369 crore for this work named Jal Vikas Marg Project (JVMP). The project falls in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal.