Safety not on track as railway lacks manpower, on-board CCTV

From lack of adequate Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel and poor CCTV surveillance to commuter inhibition, a combination of factors remains a stumbling block for the security wing of Chennai Railway Division.

According to sources, there are only 1,350 RPF personnel to man the entire division stretching from Chennai to Jolarpet in the west, Villupuram in the south, and Gudur near Andhra in the north. 

For a division that ferries an average 1.2 million passengers on its 658 suburban services in four different sections on weekdays, the RPF wing is woefully understaffed. Only 60 per cent of the workforce is available to cover the four suburban sections.

“The number of personnel available is limited for such a vast area. Apart from trains, we also need personnel to man the outposts. With the limited manpower, we are trying to increase the patrolling levels, especially after sunset,” a senior official told DT Next on condition of anonymity.

Inadequate manpower aside, a common complaint from rail users is that the personnel man the coaches as per their convenience. “Constables mostly occupy the first coach on either side or the one closest to the foot over bridge. Deputing them to ladies’ coaches will be helpful,” said Vikram Mahadevan, a techie who frequently travels on Chennai Beach – Chengalpet section.

The division has fallen short even in the case of CCTV surveillance, which is available only between five and ten percent of suburban trains. For instance, only three rakes in Chennai Beach – Tambaram section have on-board surveillance. The new rakes supplied from Integral Coach Factory are equipped with CCTV cameras.

The Railway Ministry had introduced “Meri Saheli” initiative to engage women commuters to enhance safety, especially in vulnerable sections. However, officials said many from the civil sociert are unwilling to communicate with the personnel.

“There is some inhibition among the women commuters, with very few willing to communicate with RPF officials, despite engaging only lady constables for networking with women commuters. It is a stigma that should be done away with for better partnership between personnel and passengers,” added an official. The senior officials have advised the divisional security wing to increase number of personnel after 7 pm. “We’ve advised the security commissioner to publicise Meri Saheli app and helpline number (139),” he added.

On Wednesday, a high level meeting of the Divisional Railway Manager, Chief Security Commissioner and Senior Divisional Security Commissioner was held to discuss the issue.

In Chennai division, 74 EMU trains are escorted by 148 RPF staff on a daily basis, while under Chennai suburban network, no section is identified as most vulnerable section. However, 9-11 pm and 4-6 am are identified as vulnerable, a senior railway official told DT Next adding around 70-100 commuters have signed up for Meri Saheli initiative on daily basis.