 Online edition of India's National Newspaper Saturday, Jan 31, 2009 ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version |
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Tamil Nadu
There are many ways through which an explosive substance can find its way into railway stations, writes S. Vijay Kumar. The heightened security arrangements that were in place at major railway stations during the last few weeks have been relaxed. It is business as usual at the Central and Egmore railway stations where thousands of people come and go daily. Even as passengers are asked to pass through door-frame metal detectors and their baggage is checked at random, security agencies fear that there are many others ways through which an explosive substance or contraband could find its way i nto railway stations or trains. According to police sources, many sealed consignments such as parcels, couriers, cooked food, packaged water, bedrolls and vessels enter the railway station premises without any check. At times vehicles, though authorised, enter close to platforms without undergoing frisking. Though the genuineness of the people involved in these operations is not the issue, police say anti-social elements could easily execute sinister plans taking advantage of such weak channels. “Even when an alert is sounded, we only tighten the entry points of passengers. The movement of bedrolls or consignments goes unchecked. These items are taken straight into the railway station or trains through separate routes that are open only to authorised persons,” an official in the Government Railway Police says. While trains originating from Chennai are thoroughly frisked at the yard and brought on to the platforms, many trains pass through Chennai. “About 240 suburban trains operate at the platforms close to the Moore Market Complex. We are trying to create a security model that would minimise risks. It is time to create an infrastructure that would help in implementing a Standard Operating Procedure at times of emergency. There is a need to enhance surveillance along wayside stations,” the official said. Installation of more scanning machines and metal detectors was imperative in the current security scenario, he added. The Government Railway Police and the Railway Protection Force have plans for joint operations that will help in making optimum utilisation of the available manpower and infrastructure.
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