Local trains to ramp up security cover
Western Railway (WR) is to install 12,446 Video Surveillance System (VSS) CCTVs in 1,615 coaches in Mumbai, the specifications of which have been finalised. Central Railway (CR) too is at the fag end of finalising VSS for its trains. The ladies coaches and railway stations are already covered with a network of CCTVs.
The VSS will cover all the coaches of AC and non-AC local trains apart from the shuttle trains that operate on the 123-km Churchgate-Dahanu suburban corridor. It will also monitor the motormen cab and train managers. Central Railway too is to install VSS inside its local trains running on the CSMT-Karjat/ Kasara/ Panvel corridors. The details are being finalised by the relevant departments.
Sources in WR said that tenders for supply, installation, testing and commissioning of VSS in coaches had been called. The authorities will open the tender on August 18. 'We will finalise the contractor, after which it will probably take around eight to nine months for the work to be completed,' said a senior WR official. 'As part of this holistic security system, we will install 12,446 cameras at a cost of ₹97.30 crore, which will cover all the coaches of local and shuttle trains. We are continuously enhancing security through other steps as well at railway stations and inside local and long-distance trains.'
The railway authorities, in a press note today, stated that following the July 11, 2006 Mumbai suburban serial train blasts and other subsequent threats, they had significantly overhauled their security strategy over the years. Among the steps taken were the formation of Quick Reaction Teams (QRTs) at major stations, the deployment of Bomb Detection & Disposal Squads (BDDS), increased RPF-GRP joint patrolling in sensitive areas, enhanced intelligence coordination with state and central agencies, a focus on anti-sabotage checks before peak hours and random baggage screening at high-risk stations and trains.
'There is a need to increase the number of CCTVs inside local trains,' said Rajiv Singhal, member of the Divisional Railway Users Consultative Committee, an interactive platform between railway authorities and commuters. 'At present there are beggars, transgenders and other elements who travel ticketless in local trains. The authorities should also reprimand the railway police personnel at stations, who are more busy looking at their mobile phones than keeping a watchful eye on trains and stations.' Singhal raised these points last week with the WR authorities.
However, WR officials said that adequate measures had been undertaken to improve security. 'As of now, 3,048 CCTVs have been installed across suburban stations,' said the senior official. 'They have also been installed in 305 of the 451 ladies coaches in 146 local trains. There are 470 CCTVs with Face Recognition System (FRS) too. At the stations, high definition IP-based CCTVs have been installed that relay real-time video feeds to station control rooms.'
Central railway authorities, while not providing exact details, said that all suburban stations had been brought under CCTV coverage, with 24/7 monitoring. 'Presently, about 4,154 CCTVs are working at suburban stations, and the demand for additional cameras is under process,' said a CR official.
The Railway Protection Force dog squads also work round the clock, while there are door frame metal detectors and hand-held metal detectors at entry points of stations. However, the authorities agreed that these were not very effective during peak hours.
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