Thar Express comes under video vigil

JAIPUR: The series of bomb blasts in Jaipur, Bangalore and Ahemadabad have brought under scanner trains reaching India from Pakistan. In a bid to step up vigil at the Attari (Punjab) and Munnabao (Rajasthan) railway stations near the Indo-Pak border, the Union government has decided to videotape passengers travelling between the two countries in Thar Express and the Samjhauta Express.

The Union home ministry is also learnt to have invited tenders to acquire sophisticated equipment for setting up an integrated surveillance system at the Munnabao railway station in Barmer district of Rajasthan, a home ministry source said.

“Under the new process, the Intelligence Bureau (IB) is expected to record the arrival and departure of passengers. The purpose behind this is to keep a constant vigil at the entry points and to maintain visual records of those who cross the border,” said a railway official.

Jodhpur divisional railway manager SK Sood said safety measures have been initiated keeping in mind security threats and rising incidents of smuggling across the border.

“The videography process is already in place at Bhagat Ki Kothi railway station for the past one year. The Centre’s decision to initiate the same process from Munnabao railway station will help plug security loopholes. As far as passengers and their luggage capacity are concerned, we have restrained them from carrying more than 35 kg of weight,” he said. The weight limit was enforced almost two months back following which any passenger with luggage exceeding 45 kg is not allowed to carry the extra baggage, he said.

The state government approached the Union home ministry to step up more security measures following reports of smuggling, including drugs,  through railways.

Since its launch on February 18, 2006, the Thar Express has proved to be a boon for people living in the border areas of Rajasthan. In a review meeting on narcotics held at the police headquarters almost a month back, state home minister Gulab Chand Kataria directed the officials to take appropriate measures to check smuggling.

Railway officials said surveillance system would include top-end CCTV equipped with state-of-the-art cameras with zoom lens and video converters. Besides, the monitoring staff would be equipped with video management system software, and high resolution LCD panel for round-the-clock control room monitoring. The sources in the customs department said that as there were no weight restrictions earlier, many passengers from both sides smuggled various items across the borders.