The ministry of home affairs has decided to implement the “safe city” concept in Hyderabad on the lines of Delhi to tackle security threats and conflicts based on religion and region.

The concept, seen as a major step in mega city policing project funded by the MHA, was included in the latest action plan by the Centre. Other cities in the list are Bengaluru, Chennai, Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Kolkata.

The “safe city” concept is being developed for Delhi with the help of leading service providers. Once the concept model is ready, it will be applied to cities under the Modernisation of Police Force Scheme.

The city police will be equipped with the latest night-vision devices, GPS for dial 100 system, surveillance cameras, portable X-ray machines, vehicle scanners, vehicle number plate identification system, modern riot protection gear, sophisticated bomb detecting devices and GIS-based automated vehicle tracking and management system.

Hyderabad “safe city” policing will be based on steps needed to tackle terror attacks, communal riots, VIP security and protection to vital installations.

Stress will be on local-specific issues like lake policing, communal clashes and safety of public places.

The special branch of the city police, which has become defunct and burdened with passport verification, will be strengthened to gather intelligence at the local level.

Traffic management and crime investigation are other areas to be addressed.

This project is an extension of the mega city policing project mooted three years ago. The mega city project was sanctioned a budget of Rs 500 cr. Between January 2005 and January 2009, the ministry of home affairs had released Rs 22 crore for the city under the policing project, sources said.

The director-general of police, Mr R.R. Girish Kumar, said, “Hyderabad and Cyberabad police commissionerates are being developed as part of mega city policing.”

The MHA also decided to acquire land for the National Security Guards’ hub by March 31 in the city, sources said.