The Hindu : New Delhi News : Inherent flaws in the system come to fore

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Saturday, Feb 24, 2007
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New Delhi

New Delhi

Inherent flaws in the system come to fore

A profit-making organisation like the Railways should be investing more on gadgets like CCTVs for vulnerable stations, writes Devesh K. Pandey

The flaws inherent in any system generally do not get noticed until they become a major source of embarrassment for the establishment. That appears to be the case now with all the official agencies concerned having no explanation to offer for the lax security at Old Delhi railway station for the all-important Samjhauta Express that connects Delhi and Lahore. In the aftermath of the serial blasts in Mumbai trains that shocked the entire nation last July, the Railways and security agencies had held a meeting to discuss the measures required to plug loopholes in the security arrangements at the main railway stations in the Capital. The meeting was attended by senior officials of Northern Railway, Railway Protection Force, Government Railway Police and Delhi Police.

Suggestions were put forward for purchase of sophisticated security gadgets like explosive vapour detectors, X-ray baggage scanners and latest versions of doorframe metal detectors. A survey of all the main railway stations was conducted, and on the basis of the findings a proposal for installation of more closed-circuit television cameras (CCTVs) was made.

The survey team found that there was a need for about 85 additional CCTVs at New Delhi railway station, 55 more at Old Delhi, 22 at Sarai Rohilla and 35 more at Hazrat Nizamuddin. Besides, the railway authorities were advised to undertake perimeter fencing and blocking unauthorised entries. Most of the proposals did not see the light of day.

Now that 68 lives have been lost in the Samjhauta Express blasts, one wonders why necessary steps were not taken at that time to ensure that nothing of this sort took place.

Presuming that the blasts on board the Samjhauta Express have finally woken up the authorities from their slumber, people are hoping that something concrete would be done now to ensure the safety of lakhs of train passengers.

Since the most important yardstick of a security set-up is the access-control mechanism, extensive surveys need to be undertaken at all the major railway stations to spot every unauthorised access points. They should be either plugged or manned. Security personnel deployed at entry points, in the CCTV monitoring room and in trains should be provided intensive training in conducting random-profiling of passengers through which anyone loitering about in suspicious circumstances is identified and his or her antecedents verified.

The second important aspect is checking of goods entering the premises, which should be carried out meticulously with the help of electronic gadgets. Proper physical examination of the baggage should be carried out to prevent entry of any incendiary substance.

The third major step is keeping a close watch on activities in areas near the stations that could involve exercises like surprise checks in hotels, guesthouses and market places and also tenant verification drives. This would require efficient coordination between the Railways and the police. Besides, a profit-making organisation like the Railways should be more forthcoming in investing more on gadgets like CCTVs for vulnerable stations.

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