MCD to install CCTV cameras in all wards, boost sanitation & development works: Thapliyal
PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/DEHRADUN
Dehradun mayor Saurabh Thapliyal said that CCTV cameras will be installed in all 100 wards to boost public safety and that development works in the wards will also begin soon. The mayor said this on Saturday as the Municipal Corporation of Dehradun (MCD) board marked one year after Thapliyal took charge, citing a series of civic, technological and environmental initiatives aimed at improving urban governance in the capital. Speaking on the occasion, Thapliyal said that the MCD’s focus remains on making Dehradun a clean, beautiful and safe city. He called on residents to actively participate in cleanliness efforts. The mayor also announced that CCTV cameras will be installed across all 100 municipal wards in 2026 to strengthen public safety. He added that a mechanised waste transfer station will be developed at Dhoran to streamline solid waste management, with ward-level development works expected to begin soon.
MCD officials said that a key initiative during the year was the launch of the Renew Rishpana Campaign in February 2025 to clean the Rispana river, curb waste dumping and build public awareness. A special enforcement task force was formed and a cleanliness war room was set up to ensure garbage-related complaints are addressed within an hour. Dheradun also saw increased residential engagement through sanitation patrolling, a sub-zone monitoring system, awards for cleanest wards and the distribution of Swachhata Prahari badges, the mayor said. Source-level waste segregation was promoted in select colonies with support from non-governmental organisations, he added.
On the infrastructure front, the MCD developed new public parks in Nehru Colony, including the Amar Jawan Memorial dedicated to martyr major Chitresh Bisht, Thapliyal highlighted. Technology-driven governance was strengthened with the establishment of an Integrated Control and Command Centre, GPS-based tracking of municipal vehicles and a digital grievance redressal system, he said.
Urban services were further augmented with the induction of new garbage collection vehicles, installation of 228 street lights on Sahastradhara Road, inauguration of a Yoga park at Kedarpuram and plantation drives across the city. During the year, the state’s first AI-based municipal chatbot, Nigam Saarthi, was also launched. Officials said that additional measures included Gaushala modernisation, vacuum-based road sweeping machines, smart toilets, drone-based waste monitoring and plastic waste processing.
