In what could be a major security hazard, the Central Railway authorities, who inspected 11 railway stations on the suburban system, have found several unauthorised entry and exit points at the rail premises.
The stations under its purview are Dadar, Kurla LTT, Kurla, Thane, Kalyan, Vashi, Wadala, Panvel, Dombivali, Ghatkopar and Karjat. Sources said that during the inspection, they found 90 odd authorised entry and exit points and 27 unauthorised points that are used by people -- holding valid tickets and ticketless travellers.
"We found that these unauthorised points aren't manned 24/7. It is difficult to do so and is mainly created by people who have broken down the wall or any such path not authorised by the railways," said a CR official.
Officials said that Kurla LTT station is among the worst when it comes to security as all sides around the station premises are open. There are no boundary walls and it is easily susceptible to miscreants and anti-social elements.
Ghatkopar station, which connects the suburban rail with the Metro, has no authorised entry/exit points.
It has 18 unauthorised points that are used by nearly 1.5 lakh commuters every day at the station. In a meeting between the RPF and GRP to address this issue, agencies took stock of the current situation and discussed the possibility of adding manpower at these stations to monitor the unauthorised entry/exit points.
Apart from this, the rail police authorities also checked the presence of door frame metal detectors (DFMD)and found that 52 DFMDs are present at six stations while there are none at Vashi, Wadala, Ghatkopar, Dombivli and Karjat.
...& ANALYSIS
- Security at railway stations is a major concern for not only rail authorities but also commuters using the system everyday. The presence of these unauthorised entry points into railway premises shows the shoddy infrastructure. The railways need to spend more to strengthen existing security.
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