The Delhi government is working on a plan to install one lakh smart street lights and 50,000 new CCTV cameras to improve women’s safety and reduce poorly lit areas across the capital, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said at an event at Delhi University’s Daulat Ram College on Tuesday.
The proposed smart lights will be connected to a central command and control centre. This system is intended to help authorities identify faulty lights and ensure that repairs are carried out within a defined timeframe. The plan is also expected to support efforts to reduce dark spots, which can affect how safely people move through streets and public areas after sunset.
The announcement was made during the inauguration of Daulat Ram College’s centenary academic building, computer centre and skill development centre. Addressing students, Gupta said that the responsibility for women’s safety should not be placed only on women. She called for changes in social attitudes and said boys and men should be taught to respect women rather than restrictions being imposed on girls.
The proposed CCTV expansion would add 50,000 cameras to Delhi’s urban surveillance network, although the report did not provide details on the locations, installation schedule, procurement process, cost or the agency that will operate the system. It also did not specify the timeline for completing the smart-lighting programme or identify the number of existing lights and cameras that would be integrated with the new network.
The plan places the city’s command and control infrastructure at the centre of routine public-safety operations. Connecting street lights to a central system could allow faults to be identified remotely instead of relying only on complaints from residents or physical inspections. However, the effectiveness of the system will depend on how quickly repair teams respond, how consistently equipment is maintained and how agencies coordinate their responsibilities.
At the college event, Gupta also urged students to pursue their goals with confidence and develop the ability to make their own decisions. She said education should prepare young people not only to obtain degrees but also to gain technical knowledge, practical skills and economic independence. The Chief Minister, a former student of Daulat Ram College, recalled that her public life began after she became the college students’ union general secretary.
The event included an inspection of the faculty reading room, seminar room, library facility, recycling unit and bakery unit. Gupta also assured the college of support for auditorium renovation and launched the ‘Miss DRC Talent Hunt’ programme.
Women students from the college demonstrated self-defence techniques under Delhi Police’s Mission Shakti initiative. The demonstration involved 200 students trained by the Northern District Police’s Parivartan Squad. According to the report, police conducted 92 programmes in 59 schools and 12 colleges in 2026, training 16,520 female students.
The Delhi government’s next steps on the smart-lighting and CCTV plans, including project timelines, locations, funding arrangements and operational responsibilities, remain to be detailed. Delhi University Vice-Chancellor Professor Yogesh Singh, college principal Professor Savita Rai and other officials attended the programme.
