Sainath Mandal Trust swims against tide, follows police advice to install CCTV cameras in view of upcoming Ganeshotsav and security concerns, reaps benefits of its decision within a few days

Theu00a0Sainath Mandal Trust caught a man who was trying to break the shutter of the Ganesh mandal in Budhwar Peth a couple of days ago, thanks to a set of two CCTVs installed near the premises. The suspected thief showed up on the CCTV footage captured late on Friday night. As a result, it was possible for the mandal workers to identify the man, who was seen having a go at the shutter locks with iron rods. The suspect was identified with the help of the recorded footage and handed over to the police in 24 hours.


Got him: Piyush Shah, executive president of Sainath Mandal Trust,
with the CCTV grabs of the suspect, who was later caught and handed
over to the police


An enlarged CCTV grab. Pic/Krunal Gosavi

"The suspect was identified and later handed over by our mandal president Amar Hireshikhar, Raju Multani and Vinay Shah," said Piyush Shah, executive president, Sainath Mandal Trust. The suspect was from Buldhana in Marathwada and revealed his name to be Anand Dayanand Narawade. Police Constable S B Bhoite from the Crime Branch confirmed the development. He said the suspect was in police custody and his interrogation was on.

Shah said the experience had left the mandal convinced about the efficacy of CCTV cameras, a security measure the police have been asking all mandals to go for. The Sainath Mandal Trust took the police advice to heart about two months ago and has now reaped the benefit of taking the decision. "We are installing another CCTV camera in the area, which may prove useful during the Ganapati festival this year," Shah said. "There have been many thefts in the temples in the area over the last 15 days."

'Can't afford CCTV'
Though the police have appealed to all mandals in the city to install CCTVs in the pandal during the upcoming Ganeshotsav because of concerns over security and the increased terrorist activity in the state in recent years, it is difficult for many mandals to afford the facility. Many small mandals do not have too many ways of generating funds.

Anand Saraf, a research scholar on the Ganpati festival in the city, said that the economics of the Ganesh mandals was not in favour of small mandals. Many mandals are still facing the problems of recession and their advertising revenue is restricted as the city police have only permitted the installation of two box arches per Ganpati mandal.u00a0u00a0
u00a0
CCTV cameras have already become a common sight in many shops and several religious organisations are also going for the facility in the wake of security and terrorist threats. "These establishments can afford the system as, for them, once it is installed it is for life," Saraf said. "But many smaller mandals ask why their money should be invested only for the 12 days (of Ganeshotsav)."

Shirish Mohite, president, Seva Mitra Mandal, Phadgate, Shukrawar Peth, opposed the idea of small Ganpati mandals spending money on CCTV in a meeting with the police. "Many such CCTV cameras are lying idle in their area. The police had installed them to monitor traffic during the Commonwealth Youth Games two years ago. We can use them for the festival purpose by spending money to repair them," Mohite said. "Otherwise, it is not a beneficial investment as small mandals have to spend money for CCTV only for 12 days in a year, just for the festival."

Cost to come down
A two-camera CCTV system with a Rs 15,000 DVR for the recording the footage costs between Rs 25,000 and Rs 50,000, depending on the brand, said Pritesh Chavan, owner of an electrical shop from Sadashav Peth. But he added that the cost could come down. "The new versions are also coming at cheaper rates," he said.

Mandal statistics
Number of Ganesh mandals in city: 4,500*
Big Ganesh mandals (with a budget of more than Rs 1 lakh): 500*
Small Ganesh mandals (with a budget of less than Rs 1 lakh): 4,000*
*Approximate figures

Police say
IN the wake of the July 13 serial blasts in Mumbai, the city police held a meeting with dignitaries of Ganesh mandals and appealed to them to install CCTV cameras during the Ganapati festival. DCP Makrand Ranade of the Special Branch said: "We have appealed to all Ganesh mandals to install CCTV facility as the camera footage will help us keep a continuous watch on suspects and remain alert to any possible contingency. We are even ready to rent CCTV cameras for the Ganesh festival."
Other directives
> Two box arches allowed as 10 feet should be kept free for movement
> No parking allowed within 100 metres of the pandal.
> PMC schools to be made available to park vehicles during the festival
> Deployment of 50 volunteers each round-the-clock to monitor the crowd