Trivandrum: Arun Kumar IPS, Director General of Railway Protection Force, New Delhi inspected Thiruvananthapuram division. The DG also conducted RPF Sainik Sammelan and interacted with officers and staff of RPF. About 160 members of the different ranks participated in the meeting.
Today, the DG/RPF conducted a meeting with the RPF officers of the division at Divisional Railway Manager’s office. During the meeting, DG/RPF reviewed the security arrangements in Railway stations and trains over Kerala. The crime pattern and the ways and means to provide better security to passengers and especially to women passengers were discussed. DG/RPF reviewed the Station Security Plan devised for Thiruvananthapuram and Ernakulam Railway stations to provide enhanced security comprising of revamping existing CCTV systems by providing IP based camera, restricting Entry / Exit to the stations, providing boundary walls, watch towers, morchas and regulating traffic.
During his interaction with the media, he described the various drives being organised by RPF on pan-India basis against touting, sale of spurious water in stations and trains, leased SLR checking and unauthorised parking of vehicles in Railway stations for prolonged periods was appreciated by Honorable Railway Minister. The innovative measures adopted in Thiruvananthapuram division for providing better security like Stand Alone Solar powered cameras, IP based cameras etc were appreciated by DG/RPF. The measures taken for the security of women passengers like Whatsapp group – Safety on wheels, Awareness campaigns on – Life is Precious, Short film on 182 Helpline and other initiatives taken by Thiruvananthapuram division for preventing LC gate accidents, stone pelting, trespassing, etc was also appreciated by DG/RPF.
DG/RPF informed that thorough analysis is being done with regard to the increasing trend of death in railway tracks and that suitable measures will be taken to prevent the same. DG /RPF informed that modern security gadgets like body-worn camera, CCTV cameras in trains, providing alert provision in 182 Helplineare being implemented. In order to enhance the security, 100 new posts are being created over Southern Railway apart from filling the existing vacancies. A dedicated commando battalion “CORAS” (Commandos for railway security) has been created in RPF for exclusively dealing with Naxals/extremists and other high-risk areas. Around 10,000 RPF constables are being recruited in which 4000 are women to provide better security to women passengers. Recently the power to search and seize narcotic substances has been entrusted to RPF. DG further informed that in order to empower RPF, amendments are being made in Railways Act to empower RPF to register and investigate offences of theft of passenger belongs, drugging, crime against women passengers, e-ticket touting etc.
Kerala Rail News