AAP MLAs eclipse BJP MLAs when it came to spending on providing CCTVs for their constituents. (Source Express file photo) AAP MLAs eclipse BJP MLAs when it came to spending on providing CCTVs for their constituents. (Source Express file photo)

Women security has become one of the main points of contention between political parties contesting Delhi Assembly elections. All the main players went to great lengths to highlight the issue in their manifestos or “vision documents”. Both the Aam Aadmi Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party have promised to increase the number of CCTVs in buses, streets and other public areas. AAP, in fact, promised to provide 15 lakh CCTVs in Delhi if voted to power. Cost can be a barrier, but when the issue is as serious as women security no party would like to back off on their stand.

READ: How Arvind Kejriwal, AAP and BJP MLAs used their money

Countries like the United Kingdom and United States of America have become close “Big Brother” states and left no blind spots from their watchful gaze. Every alley, back alley is watched and movements of a Person of Interest tracked. This lead to privacy concerns being rised in both countries after they spent billions of tax payer’s dollars. Even sample studies conducted in UK showed that installing CCTVs had little impact in stopping crime. The studies showed that authorities couldn’t reign in crime figures despite use of hi-tech cameras. The only crime that decreased was carjacking. CCTVs in parking lots ensured that the crime rate was slashed by over 50%.

READ: How Arvind Kejriwal and his cabinet spent

However, images gleaned from CCTVs could help authorities prosecute criminals or give crucial leads to solving cases.

We analysed the figures of how much Delhi MLAs have spent on CCTVs in their constituency in the last one year. An MLA receives Rs 4 crore every year and they decide on what works they could sanction the money. The previous government may have quit after 49 days but MLAs from all parties continued spending their funds since the Assembly wasn’t dissolved till late last year.

All figures are in lakhs

Despite the heavy lifting done by BJP’s Nand Kishore Garg, BJP MLAs have collectively spent just Rs 179.50 lakhs and the AAP eclipsed them by spending Rs 398.09 lakhs. And just three BJP MLAs allocated their funds towards installing CCTVs out of the 31 elected representatives.

Black CCTVs denote BJP and white AAP. Few locations couldn’t be accurately depicted due to the inaccuracy of Google maps

If a few hundred CCTVs installed in the last one year look like a cluster of “eyes” on Delhi map, then imagine how 15 lakh CCTVs would look like.

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