Karachi Safe City Phase-II: Automatic no plate, facial recognition cameras to be installed

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Friday approved Phase-II of the Karachi Safe City Project, a major step towards strengthening urban security, surveillance and law enforcement capacity in the metropolis, with the installation of over 2,300 smart cameras and advanced monitoring infrastructure.

Presiding over a meeting of the Sindh Safe Cities Authority (SSCA) at the CM House, the chief minister underscored that ensuring public safety through modern technology remains a top priority of his government.

The meeting was informed that Phase-II of the project envisages the installation of 2,314 smart surveillance cameras, including 870 for general surveillance, 1,300 equipped with Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) and facial recognition, 80 for traffic enforcement, 56 mobile surveillance units, and 8 dedicated to traffic signal monitoring.

These cameras will be deployed across Karachi’s districts, with the highest coverage in District South (322 cameras), followed by East (220), Korangi (27), Keamari (17), Malir (16), and West (1), significantly expanding the city’s monitoring network.

The project, estimated at approximately Rs9.98 billion, is scheduled for completion within 12 months, with work expected to commence in May 2026. The infrastructure components include nine Points of Presence (PoP) sites equipped with solar and generator backup, a smart surveillance tower, 50 public panic buttons linked to a central command system, eight response vehicles with onboard cameras, and 10 surveillance drones.

Murad Ali Shah highlighted that the government had achieved cost savings of over Rs1 billion through negotiations on procurement, demonstrating financial prudence while maintaining quality standards. “This is not just a development project – it is a critical investment in public safety and national security,” he said.

The chief minister directed authorities to expedite approvals and ensure timely execution, warning that delays could lead to cost escalations, particularly given the rising global prices of surveillance equipment.

To strengthen operational readiness, the SSCA has completed a transparent recruitment process for technical staff through a multi-stage, merit-based evaluation system involving expert panels and oversight committees.

The chief minister approved moving forward with the appointments under the relevant provisions of the SSCA Act.

In addition to Karachi, the meeting reviewed proposals to establish Safe City projects in divisional headquarters, including Hyderabad, Sukkur, Larkana, Mirpurkhas, and Shaheed Benazirabad, with an estimated total cost of Rs3.15 billion and installation of 780 cameras. It was decided to that the proposals may be submitted to the Planning and Department for further review.

Murad Shah emphasised the importance of integrating all safe city initiatives under a unified SSCA framework to ensure standardisation, avoid duplication, and enhance coordination. “Fragmented systems compromise effectiveness, our goal is a fully integrated command and control network across Sindh,” he said.

Reaffirming his government’s commitment, the chief minister said the Safe City initiative would not only improve crime prevention and response but also enhance traffic management and emergency services, ultimately making Karachi a safer and more resilient city.

The meeting was attended by Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar, Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah, IG Police Javed Odho, PSCM Agha Wasif, Secretary Home Iqbal Memon, Chairman P&D Najam Shah, Secretary Finance Fayaz Jatoi, Secretary Excise Saleem Rajput, DG SSCA Sarfraz Nawaz, Agha Fakhar, and DG PDMA Salman Shah. The members of the authority, MPAs Syed Sarfraz Shah, Ali Hassan Hingorjo, Sumta Afzal, Humaira Faraz and others