IIT Delhi is upgrading security across its hostels with an estimated budget of ₹2.94 crore, adding night-vision cameras, a web-based video management system and formal response deadlines for equipment failures. The project will cover 11 hostels and upgrade the institute’s existing network of 224 CCTV cameras.
The planned system will include infrared bullet and dome cameras to support monitoring in low-light and night-time conditions. Bullet cameras are intended for open and external areas, while dome cameras will be used inside hostel buildings. Pan-tilt-zoom, or PTZ, cameras will also be installed where security teams need to change the direction of surveillance remotely.
The cameras will be connected to a video management system that will enable live monitoring and recording through the web. The system is designed to extend surveillance beyond the presence of security guards and create a centralised mechanism for monitoring hostel premises.
The upgrade will also place time-bound technical obligations on the agency responsible for maintaining the system. According to the report, technical support will be available around the clock. Complaints must be acknowledged within 30 minutes, followed by a technical response within one hour and a site visit within a maximum of 12 hours.
For serious equipment failures, the agency will have to respond within two hours. Where necessary, a temporary arrangement must be put in place within 48 hours. These service requirements are intended to address a common operational problem in camera-based security systems: surveillance gaps caused by non-functioning equipment rather than the absence of cameras.
The upgrade will cover hostels identified as Vindhyachal, Zanskar, Kumaon, Jwalamukhi, Shivalik, Satpura, Udaygiri, Girnar, Himadri, Kailash-1, Kailash-2 and Karakoram in the report. IIT Delhi is also preparing a new security cabin and a stainless-steel gate for Nalanda Hostel.
Alongside the hostel security work, the institute plans to purchase a BSI CMOS high-speed camera for research purposes. The equipment can record extremely fast events at thousands of frames per second, making it distinct from the surveillance cameras being installed for routine monitoring.
The project places emphasis on both coverage and system availability. Its maintenance deadlines mean that the effectiveness of the upgraded network will depend not only on the number or type of cameras installed, but also on how quickly faults are identified, repaired and temporarily managed. The report did not specify the project’s installation deadline or the agency selected to execute the work.
