THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK
Daltonganj, September 3: The Palamu police have strengthened surveillance in Hussainabad Nagar Panchayat, which shares a long and porous border with Bihar’s crime-prone districts of Rohtas and Aurangabad.
A total of 15 CCTV cameras have been installed across key locations under the Nagar Panchayat, a civic body with distinctly urban characteristics.
SP Reeshma Ramesan, local MLA Sanjay Kumar Singh Yadav, and SDPOs S. Mohammad Yakub and Awadh Kishore Yadav inaugurated the system. The officer in charge of Hussainabad police station has been designated as the monitoring officer for the cameras.
Police sources said SP Ramesan has been actively encouraging business owners and affluent residents to install CCTV cameras for their own safety and in the broader interest of the community.
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Long-Overdue Security Measure
Hussainabad SDPO S. Mohammad Yakub described the installation as “long overdue.”
“The day I joined here, I found this deficiency more glaring than anything else. For want of CCTV footage, inquiry, investigation, detection and evidence gathering used to suffer,” he said.
The cameras have been strategically placed at busy spots such as JP Chowk, Harihur Chowk, Deori Road, Dangwar Road and Nahar Road.
Border Security Concerns
Hussainabad’s proximity to Bihar has long posed challenges. Locals often remark: “If Bihar’s Rohtas and Aurangabad sneeze, Jharkhand’s Hussainabad catches a cold.”
The porous border allows criminals to cross over easily. Police note that much of the smuggling involves liquor, as prohibition in Bihar drives demand across the border. Rohtas is notorious for illicit arms and hooch, while entrenched criminal networks mark Aurangabad.
Hussainabad has frequently hosted inter-state meetings of civil and police officials from both Jharkhand and Bihar to address these challenges.
CCTV as a Deterrent
With Bihar’s prohibition pushing illicit trade into Jharkhand, Hussainabad feels the pressure of liquor smuggling most acutely. SDPO Yakub believes the new surveillance system will help:
“CCTV cameras will act as a deterrent and discourage many from indulging in unlawful activities,” he said.
