Guwahati, Dec 29 (PTI) Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday inaugurated a Rs 111-crore permanent building of Guwahati Police Commissionerate and a surveillance system, comprising 2,000 CCTVs, for the city.
Shah also inaugurated an exhibition on new criminal laws, organised by the state Criminal Investigation Department (CID), at the newly unveiled Guwahati Police Commissioner's office.
At a function here, the Union home minister unveiled the two projects, developed at a total cost of Rs 292 crore.
The 10-storey office building, including ground floor and basement, of the Commissionerate of Guwahati Police has been constructed at an expenditure of Rs 111 crore and is located in Khanapara area.
The building will house all branches of Guwahati Police and will have a seating capacity for 400 officers, besides a library and an archive.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who was present with Shah at the inaugural ceremony, later in a series of posts on X said: "Taking Assam's policing to the next level, Adarniya Shri @AmitShah Ji inaugurated the new building of Commissioner of Police, Guwahati."
This state-of-the-art and eco-friendly police hub will boost efficiency and empower the state's law enforcing agency to serve the people even better, he added.
Along with Sarma, Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal was also present at the event.
During the function, Shah also inaugurated the Intelligence City Surveillance System (ICSS) inside the new building.
As part of this system, developed at an investment of Rs 181 crore, an advanced command and data facility -- Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) -- has been set up. The project was established by Guwahati Smart City Ltd.
The unit comprises 2,000 CCTV cameras and has 60 citizen safety and alerting systems, considerably enhancing the overall security apparatus of the Northeast's largest city.
Commenting on the surveillance system, Sarma said, "With the inauguration of Intelligence City Surveillance System by Adarniya Shri @AmitShah Ji, Guwahati is now equipped with 2000+ cameras, advanced command & data facilities and robust citizen safety systems."
This entire mechanism is a big step towards a safer and smarter city for all, he added.
The 'Exhibition on Naveen Nyaya Sanhita' has been organised by the CID of the Assam Police to create awareness of the new laws among the public.
The presentation will also showcase the key features, objectives and implementation of the newly enacted legislations.
"It may be noted that Assam has been consistently ranked first among all the states regarding implementation of Naveen Nyaya Sanhita as per the Ministry of Home Affairs. Assam has scored 81.20 per cent as against the national average score of 57.02 per cent in NCLI dashboard," Chief Minister's Office said in a statement.
Assam is the first state to achieve 100 per cent 'geo fencing' of all police stations in PM Gati Shakti portal, and also the first to enroll DNA samples in the MCU, it added.
The capital city of Assam got its first Police Commissioner on January 1, 2015. Earlier, the city's security was looked after by a Senior Superintendent of Police.
Since then, the Office of Guwahati Police Commissioner has been operating in different temporary sites. It has changed its address multiple times and used three different government offices so far before getting the permanent building, inaugurated by Shah.
The newly commissioned environment-friendly structure has the facility for 100 per cent rainwater harvesting with a water treatment and sewage treatment plants, along with solar panels to generate 42.3 KW of electricity.
The complex is planned to support high footfall of the public and officers with strong emphasis on safety, security, sustainability and public convenience.
Sarma had laid the foundation stone for construction of the new Police Commissionerate on January 5, 2023. It was scheduled to be completed in 24 months with a spending of Rs 95 crore, which has escalated to Rs 111 crore now.
At the same function, Shah flagged off 39 mobile forensic vans under the Assam Police as part of an initiative to strengthen scientific crime investigation.
"This is part of a larger effort to enhance the use of forensic science in India's criminal justice system, especially following the enactment of new criminal laws that makes visit of forensic experts mandatory for offenses carrying a punishment of more than seven years," the CMO release said.