New Delhi: More than half of Delhi's vast CCTV surveillance network is now under review, with the government deciding to phase out over 1.4 lakh Chinese-origin cameras citing security and data concerns.
Public Works Department (PWD) Minister Parvesh Verma on Wednesday announced that cameras sourced from Chinese firm Hikvision will be systematically replaced across the capital in a phased manner.
According to official data, Delhi currently has 2,74,389 CCTV cameras installed by the PWD. Of these, nearly 1,40,000 cameras, about 51%, are Chinese-made, installed during Phase 1 between September 2020 and November 2022.
The remaining 1,34,389 cameras, installed between June 2025 and March 2026 under Phase 2, are not of Chinese origin.
Flagging concerns over surveillance and data control, the minister questioned the earlier decision to deploy Chinese cameras across the city.
"The Aam Aadmi Party installed Chinese Hikvision cameras across Delhi without thinking about the long-term security implications. Surveillance infrastructure is not just about visibility, it is about control over sensitive data," he said.
Calling it a national security issue, he added, "This was not a routine procurement decision. When you deploy such systems across an entire city, you are making a national security choice. Unfortunately, the Aam Aadmi Party failed to recognise that."
The Aam Aadmi Party pushed back against Verma's allegations on CCTV installations, with Delhi unit president Saurabh Bharadwaj questioning why no nationwide ban exists if the cameras pose genuine national security risks.
"Hikvision cameras are already deployed across multiple Central Government projects, including metro systems that are critical to public safety. If there are genuine national security concerns associated with these cameras, why has the BJP Government not imposed a comprehensive ban on their use across India," Bharadwaj said.
He added, "This selective alarm raises serious questions. It appears less about security and more about creating a convenient pretext to phase out existing systems and award fresh contracts to a favoured company."
Officials said the government has approved the replacement of 50,000 Chinese cameras in the first phase, with a larger rollout planned in stages.
A senior official said the move is part of a broader push to align surveillance infrastructure with current security standards and directives.
"We have taken a decision to phase out a significant portion of the CCTV cameras installed across the city... we will be gradually replacing cameras with updated systems that meet current technical standards, offer better data security and are supported by a robust supply and service ecosystem," he said.
The government has stressed that the transition will be calibrated to avoid any gaps in monitoring.
"Every Chinese camera installed earlier will be systematically replaced with secure and trusted systems," the official added.
Authorities also plan to use the exercise to rationalise and upgrade the overall CCTV network across Delhi.
Attacking the previous AAP government, the minister said, "For them, it was about numbers and publicity. For us, it is about security, accountability and protecting Delhi's citizens without any compromise."
The move comes amid a broader tightening of norms around Chinese surveillance equipment in India. According to reports, Chinese video surveillance firms may effectively be barred from selling internet-connected CCTV cameras in the country.
Under new Standardisation Testing and Quality Certification (STQC) rules, the government has reportedly refused certification to products made in China or those using Chinese chipsets, tightening the regulatory framework around surveillance technology.
Source: NDTV