The North Bengal Medical College and Hospital (NBMCH), which is the largest medical referral centre in the region, has decided to install 25 new CCTVs on the premises at a time when nearly half of the existing 80 cameras are not functioning.
Sources at the hospital said 32 of the 80 cameras installed in different wards and corridors were not functioning currently, leaving a section of the staff and the general public with a sense of lack of security.
Some staff members complained that the cameras had not been functioning “for a long time” and that petty thefts and influence of brokers had increased over the years. The CCTVs had been installed on the campus about five years ago at an approximate cost of Rs 8 lakh. “However, many cameras became defunct within months of the installation,” said a source. Besides, cables used to connect CCTVs were also stolen during renovation works in the corridors of the hospital a couple of years ago.