Will sign CCTV file on Monday: Kejriwal
New Delhi, July 29 : Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said he will, on Monday, sign the CCTV file in which he will ensure that the cameras are installed at a location approved by the public without any licence required.
Kejriwal had called RWAs and market associations from across the city at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium here to interact with them over the installation of CCTV cameras in the national capital.
He not only took suggestions from the public on the CCTV project but also raised certain questions before the audience.
Announcing that he will "sign the CCTV file on Monday as the public wants him to do so", Kejriwal received an enthusiastic response from the gathering when he said he "will sign the file by writing that people of Delhi want no licence for the CCTVs".
The public also welcomed his statement that women will decide, in a general body meeting of all the stakeholders, the points where CCTVs should be installed.
He suggested that the recording of the cameras should be with the police, RWAs and the Delhi government.
During the address, he said: "I am not saying everything will improve, but the situation will improve by 50 per cent if entire Delhi is under CCTV cameras."
Later, speaking to media, Kejriwal said: "In a democracy, the public is the head. There is no logic behind the licence rule for the camera installation. This will only increase the corruption. Once the people refuse, there will be no need for the licence."
"Ensuring women safety and reducing the crime level is Delhi is our priority. The public will decide if they want CCTV or not. Police, LG, or BJP will not decide."
Saying the public wanted him to do it, he also tore a report of a committee, formed by Lt Governor Anil Baijal, which suggested that the Delhi Police will be the custodian of all CCTV cameras in public spaces in the capital, including ones to be installed under AAP government's CCTV project.
The CCTV project proposed by the Delhi government will cover all RWAs and market associations of Delhi. Each RWA/market association shall have cameras to cover their respective areas.
The power supply to the cameras, with day/night vision, will be from any of the resident(s) nearest to the unit. The Delhi government will bear the monthly electricity charges.
There will be approximately 2,000 cameras per assembly constituency in all 70 constituencies
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IPL first phase schedule announced amid travel concerns caused by war in West Asia
New Delhi (PTI): Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2026 opener in Bengaluru on March 28 as the BCCI announced the first phase of the tournament schedule amid concerns around players' travel arrangements due to the ongoing West Asia conflict.
All matches scheduled at the Chinnaswamy Stadium remain subject to clearance from the Karnataka government appointed expert committee, which is scheduled to meet on March 13 to assess venue preparedness in the wake of the deadly stampede at the stadium last season.
The BCCI announced the schedule of the first 20 games on Wednesday and will unveil the full schedule once the dates of elections in three states -- Tamil Nadu, Assam and West Bengal -- are announced.
Besides the state elections, the escalating conflict in West Asia will also be at the forefront of BCCI officials' minds. The war has wreaked havoc to international travel with operations of major airports like Doha and Dubai being heavily restricted.
As a result of that, some of the squad members of South Africa and West Indies are yet to reach home a week after the completion of their T20 World Cup campaign.
It remains to be seen if IPL bound players of those two nations report to their respective teams in time.
"There was a substantial delay in departure of West Indies and South Africa players. It would be a tough task to get them back to India on time. Plus the airfares have gone up substantially due to the war in West Asia," a team official told PTI.
Additionally, hotels across India are facing cooking gas shortage due to the raging conflict and on Tuesday, the central government invoked Essential Commodities Act to ensure uninterrupted supply of domestic cooking gas.
Chennai Super Kings CEO Kasi Viswanthan told PTI that he is expecting his players from the West Indies and South Africa -- Akeal Hossein and Dewald Brevis, to join the team well before their IPL opener.
"We are expecting no delays from their end," he said.
The second game of the opening weekend will see Mumbai Indians host Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium and the opening weekend will not feature any double-headers.
A total of 20 matches will be played across 10 venues: Bengaluru, Mumbai, Guwahati, New Chandigarh, Lucknow, Kolkata, Chennai, Delhi, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad.
"During the season, Royal Challengers Bengaluru will play five home matches in Bengaluru and two in Raipur. Punjab Kings will play four home matches in New Chandigarh and three in Dharamshala, while Rajasthan Royals will play three home matches in Guwahati and four in Jaipur," said the BCCI in a statement.
"During this period (the first 16 days), the tournament will feature four double-headers, with the afternoon matches beginning at 03:30 PM IST and the evening matches commencing at 07:30 PM IST.
"Following the opening encounter on Saturday, Mumbai Indians will take on Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday.
"The matches scheduled in Bengaluru are subject to clearance from the Expert Committee constituted by the Government of Karnataka," the BCCI added.
