LUCKNOW, Sept. 2 -- Around 1,000 AI-enabled Safe City cameras across Lucknow once again went offline on Monday after dues of around Rs 8.43 crore remained unpaid. The blackout, which lasted for seven to eight hours, left major stretches of the city without surveillance and raised fresh concerns about the reliability of the project. The disruption affected feeds from cameras installed at Ballu Adda, Shankar Crossing, Lalbagh, Naza Road, Mohanlalganj, Nagram and along the Shaheed Path stretch towards Transport Nagar. Officials confirmed that this is the third time in recent years that the cameras have gone offline due to non-payment. The shutdown occurred after ADSL, the master system integrator for the Integrated Smart Control Room (ISCR), disconnected services. The company, which manages the Safe City cameras, said it cannot pay its network operator without clearance of dues from Lucknow Smart City Ltd, HT had reported recently. Officials admitted that the repeated outages severely impacted crime detection and traffic monitoring. "These cameras are designed to send immediate alerts to the control room and local police in case of harassment or abnormal activity. But none of that is possible when they are offline," said an official. According to official records, the system has helped police resolve over 1,600 crime-related cases, including chain-snatching, hit-and-run accidents and crimes against women. Breakdown of pending dues includes Rs 7.22 crore for operational services between April 1, 2024, and June 30, 2025; Rs 69.69 lakh under a change control note and Rs 51.35 lakh in electricity reimbursements. The electricity department (UPPCL) has already issued a notice warning that power supply to the ISCR could be cut if dues remain unpaid, raising the risk of permanent data loss. General manager (Smart City) AK Singh, on Monday, claimed he was unaware of whether the cameras were offline, but admitted that if services were suspended, it was due to non-payment to the network operator. "Usually, services are restored after requests, but the issue keeps recurring," he said....