Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has announced plans to install one lakh smart streetlights and 50,000 new CCTV cameras across the Capital, linking the lighting network to a Control and Command Centre to improve women’s safety and address dark spots in public spaces.
Gupta made the announcement on Tuesday while inaugurating the Centenary Academic Building, Computer Centre and Skill Development Centre at Daulat Ram College, University of Delhi. She said the smart streetlights would allow authorities to identify faulty units promptly and ensure that repairs are completed within a stipulated time frame.
According to the announcement reported by Millennium Post, the proposed lighting system is intended to strengthen monitoring of street infrastructure rather than only expand the number of lights. Connecting the network to a Control and Command Centre would give the administration a central mechanism to track malfunctioning streetlights and coordinate their repair. The government did not specify the project’s installation schedule, budget, executing agencies or the locations to be covered.
The proposal combines two different layers of public-safety infrastructure. The streetlights are intended to improve visibility and reduce unlit areas, while the planned CCTV cameras would expand surveillance coverage across the city. The announcement did not provide details on camera locations, data storage, monitoring protocols or how the CCTV system would be integrated with the existing command-and-control infrastructure.
Addressing students at her alma mater, Gupta said every girl in Delhi should be able to move forward without fear and that the Delhi Government stood with women’s safety and ambitions. She also said women’s safety should not be treated solely as the responsibility of women, calling instead for a change in social attitudes and urging that boys and men be taught to respect women.
The proposed investment in streetlights places routine maintenance at the centre of the safety plan. Faulty or non-functioning lights can create dark stretches even where lighting infrastructure has already been installed. A central reporting and repair mechanism could therefore determine how effective the new network becomes in practice. The government’s reference to repairs within a stipulated time frame indicates that service response, not only installation, will be a key part of the initiative.
The announcement came during a wider review of facilities at Daulat Ram College. Gupta inspected the Faculty Reading Room, seminar room, Shri Ramalaya in the library, recycling unit and bakery unit, and discussed the proposed renovation of the college auditorium. She also highlighted technical education and practical skills as important to helping students become self-reliant.
The next stages of the streetlight and CCTV plan will depend on the government releasing details on tenders, financing, installation milestones, operating responsibilities and the standards that will govern maintenance and surveillance. Those details have not been provided in the announcement reported by Millennium Post.
