Mumbai: Gearing up for the occasion of immersion of Ganesha idols, the Maharashtra government has made operational 103 CCTV cameras in south Mumbai to allow the security agencies to keep a close vigil.


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Devotees will throng various spots across the city to bid farewell to Lord Ganesha on September 27.


The CCTV cameras (close circuit television cameras) are being installed at various locations as part of a government project to bring the megapolis under the surveillance of CCTV network.


In the first phase of the project, 103 cameras have been made operational.


"There are 103 CCTV cameras that we have made operational in the Zone 1 (south Mumbai) that includes areas like Mumbai Port Trust, Sessions Court, Girgaum Chowpatty, Nariman Point and the stretch from Dockyard to Wadala," Additional Chief Secretary (Home) K P Bakshi said.


The cameras will help the police to monitor the law and order situation on the occasion of Ganesha idol immersion, he said.


He said cameras have been installed near Sessions Court and Mumbai Port Trust, besides 32 at Girgaum Chowpatty.


"For now, the monitoring is being done locally. And in the next two days a monitoring centre will be set up at the traffic headquarters in Worli. Later, a permanent master control room will be set up at Mumbai Police Commissioner's Office," Bakshi said, adding, that in the first phase, a total of 1,235 CCTVs will be installed.


He said the first phase will be completed by October end this year.


In the second phase, a total of 1,700 CCTVs will be installed at 410 locations in north and east Mumbai and the work will be completed by April 2016, while in the third and last phase, 2,760 cameras will be put up between Bandra and Malad at 585 locations.


The last phase will be completed by October 2016.


"We held a meeting with MCGM, BEST, Mumbai CP, the Chief Secretary and the IT Secretary yesterday. Everyone unanimously agreed to expedite the entire project and all necessary permissions will be granted so that project gets completed before time," Bakshi said.


The total budget allocated for the project is Rs 950 crore and the cameras will be installed to keep a watch at 1500 locations.