JAMMU, Jan 3: For the public’s safety, commercial buildings in the Reasi district of Jammu and Kashmir are required to install closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras within 21 days. Vishesh Paul Mahajan, the district magistrate of Reasi, also requested that within the same time frame, the proprietors of hotels, guest houses, restaurants, dhabas, shopping centres, and other commercial establishments at Katra and Ransoo provide the police station and tehsildars with the employee records of their respective establishments. The well-known shrines of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi at Katra and Shri Shiv Khori Shrine at Ransoo Tehsil in Pouni are located in the Reasi district, and a sizable number of pilgrims from all over the nation visit them every day.The district magistrate stated in a Tuesday order that installing CCTV would improve public safety, prevent terrorist attacks, and aid in the control of crime. “The installation of CCTV outside such establishments would work as a force multiplier, which would inspire further confidence in general public/customers visiting these establishments to deter criminals, anti-social and anti-national elements from committing crimes,” Mahajan said, ordering the CCTVs to be installed within 21 days. The order stated that any violation would result in the legal ramifications outlined in section 188 of the India Penal Code.In a separate order, Mahajan requested information about the workers in commercial buildings in Katra and Ransoo, stating that it was felt that employee verification was important for the public’s safety as well as the safety of pilgrims visiting shrines. Within a 21-day period, the owners of the business establishments were requested to provide their respective police stations and tehsildars with information about their employees, including Aadhaar numbers, addresses, and mobile phone numbers.
