BANGALORE: The eight blasts that rocked seven railway stations in Mumbai on Tuesday evening is apparently a wake-up call for the authorities, who have ignored the safety of nearly 10 lakh people who travel by trains that pass through Karnataka every day.

Acute shortage of police personnel and latest equipment has endangered security at the State's 450 railway platforms and 454 passenger trains running across the State.

The staff strength of the Government Railway Police (GRP) has remained almost the same since 1974, while the number of platforms and trains that pass through the State have increased dramatically.

The GRP, according to sources in the Police Department, do not have sophisticated weapons and adequate sabotage-check equipment.

There are only 896 personnel, including 630 constables, 185 head constables, 38 Assistant Sub-Inspectors, 23 sub-inspectors and 10 inspectors, in the GRP, the sources said.

The strength of the GRP is less than the total number of platforms and trains that operate in the State.

Many trains run without police escort and the security at platforms is inadequate. "If we focus on security on running trains, the security at the platforms will suffer," the sources said.

Karnataka's ratio of number of policemen per kilometre of railway track is also said to be the lowest in south India.

The State has a rail length of 3,074 kilometres, including 356 kilometres of Konkan Railway. Crimes reported on trains and platforms in the State have also been increasing.The GRP, because of shortage of personnel, is finding it difficult to meet the challenges of increased sabotage activities and anonymous calls on explosives planted on trains, they said.

Though the State Government had sanctioned 300 posts in the GRP, the Railway Board, which comes under the Union Government, has not yet given its approval for the recruitment. The expenditure of the GRP is borne by the State Government and the Railway Board.

The previous recruitment was made in 1993 when 19 people were appointed, the sources said.

The rise in the number of strikes, rail rokos, law and order problems, VVIP journeys by trains have resulted in the diversion of policemen from crime investigation, train beat, escort and intelligence gathering duties, the sources said.

Further, because of the increase in the volume of passenger traffic, travellers without ticket, beggars, unauthorised hawkers and porters, a greater presence of policemen is required on railway platforms and trains, they added.

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