Chinks in Parliament armour: Over 100 CCTV cameras defunct

New Delhi: Over one-fifth of the CCTV cameras installed in Parliament are not working, a Parliamentary panel said, as it found gaps in the security apparatus to guard the sensitive complex.

The committee of three MPs set up to look into the security drill in Parliament for the protection of the complex also found that many of the security personnel do not have bullet-proof helmets and jackets besides latest equipments and modern weapons, sources said. The MPs have dealt with security matters during their professional career.

Furthermore, the panel found that most of the equipments installed for security are out-dated.

The committee headed by former Union Home Secretary RK Singh and also comprising former Mumbai Police Commissioner Satyapal Singh and former Rajasthan DGP Harish Chandra Meena said in its report that out of the 450 CCTV cameras installed in the complex, nearly 100 were not functioning.

The report, submitted to Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan with a copy marked to the Home Ministry, suggested enhanced security at all 12 gates in the Parliament complex, official sources said on Wednesday.

The committee suggested that the security architecture put in place at all the 12 gates of Parliament has to be improved to ensure foolproof security.

The Union Home Ministry has taken the report very seriously and action will be taken on it soon, sources said. The committee also suggested upgradation of Under Vehicle Scanning System (UVSS) and installation of the machine at all gates besides the explosive detectors.

It proposed increase in number of sniffer dogs deployed in Parliament and observation towers besides upgradation of the communication system and standard operating procedures.

The committee was set up on August 7, 2014 to make a comprehensive review of the existing security set-up in Parliament and suggest measures to further strengthen it.

On December 13, 2001, five terrorists in a white Ambassador car with a red beacon had stormed the Parliament complex.

Nine persons, mostly security guards, were killed in the attack. All the five terrorists were also shot down in the ensuing gunfight with security forces.

After that, security of the complex was overhauled at an estimated cost of Rs 100 crore with hi-tech gadgets like boom barriers and tyre busters being installed.

In the previous Lok Sabha, a committee on security in Parliament complex, headed by then Deputy Speaker Karia Munda, was set up in the aftermath of the pepper spray attack inside Lok Sabha by a Congress MP that sparked massive outrage.

This committee had examined security-related matters, which also included ways to prevent bringing of dangerous and life-threatening material into the House by the Members of Parliament themselves.

CRPF, Delhi Police and Parliament's own security staff are currently deployed for the entire complex.