Deputy Chief Minister and Maharashtra Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis told the Legislative Council on Thursday that the installation of AI-based CCTV cameras in pubs and bars has been made mandatory and the implementation process had already started in the state. The excise department had taken a decision in this regard, setting a deadline of 14 days last month, after a hit-and-run case by a drunk underage driver in Pune. The issue is on the anvil in view of similar cases in Mumbai and elsewhere.

The matter came up for discussion in the Council when the Opposition leader Ambadas Danve and others questioned Fadnavis over the Pune case. Danve demanded to know why the Pune city police chief was let off without any disciplinary action, Fadnavis defended the officer, saying that the CP had been very proactive in the case.