e number of security personnel in the Bangalore railway division has remained unchanged for the past 30 years despite the increase in the number of trains and
passengers.
Approximately 154 trains carrying thousands of people arrive or depart our city daily. But are the passengers safe? Consider this: The number of security personnel in the Bangalore railway division has remained unchanged for the past 30 years despite the increase in the number of trains and
passengers.
Security is a chimera at the city’s various railway stations. And the blame-game continues over who is to blame for various security breaches. Is it the passengers walking between platforms or the security personnel who look the other way when such transgressions take place?
Bangalore City station
The Bangalore City railway station is the biggest station in the city, with 10 platforms and two entrances. But there are no proper ticket-checking facilities. Checks, if any, take place during a train’s arrival or departure.
Stall-keepers on platforms, too, complain about the unresponsiveness of the authorities. “The station is always dead. It has ‘life’ only when a minister comes visiting,” said a stall-keeper. There are many numbers of unaccounted entries. Repeated complaints to the railway police fall on deaf ears. There are 40 CCTV cameras installed on the premises, but it’s anybody’s guess as to how many are still working. Metal detectors were switched off. Railway police officials said these detectors would be replaced at the earliest.
Cantonment station
The Cantonment station is the smallest station in Bangalore with only two platforms. The station has drawn steady criticism for its minimal security. High-tech facilities such as metal detectors and CCTV cameras are only nominal.
Yeshwantpur station
The security arrangement at Yeshwantpur Railway station, the second largest in the city, is also inadequate. Its daily passenger traffic is about 40,000 people and spans over six platforms. However, only six Railway Protection Force personnel work in a shift to secure the station. The station’s equipment yard itself needs three personnel per shift. This leaves three personnel to supervise the access control (checking at the main entrance) and to secure the platforms. “We have no option but to be satisfied with whatever manpower we have. The security arrangements in place is insufficient and hardly meets the basic requirements,” said Pramod Kumar, a RPF inspector.
The station was recently elevated from an ASI outpost to an Inspector post, yet the number of RPF personnel stationed there has not increased. There is a need for at least 14 security personnel for each shift and the number of CCTV cameras has to be increased to 60 from the present 10.
Also, the enquiry desk is non-existent and lack of touchscreens to facilitate PNR enquiry makes matters worse for passengers. Platform ticket-vending machines are not installed and this leads to passengers and non-passengers scrambling for platform tickets and travel tickets at the same counter. The closure of a subway near the mutton market has forced people to use the Yeshwantpur station as a pathway to reach the vegetable market and to reach Peenya Industrial Area and Tumkur Road. “Often, people are run over by trains. The multiple entry points to the station make it impossible to restrict crossing of tracks. Though it’s an offence, the practice continues unabated,” said an official.
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