Title - Baggage scanners to beef up Metro security

KOLKATA: The railways will beef up security on long-distance and local trains and in the Metro by Durga Puja.While the Metro stations will get baggage scanners, all long-distance trains from the city, the railway stations as well as local trains will get additional securitymen. The decision was taken at a high-level coordination meeting between the Government Railway Police (GRP), West Bengal Police, Railway Protection Force (RPF) of Eastern, South Eastern, Metro, Northeast Frontier, East Central and East Coast Railways in the city on Friday.As part of introducing the Integrated Security System (ISS), the Kolkata Metro has procured 23 x-ray baggage scanners which will be installed at all the 23 Metro stations. These are multi-energy baggage scanners equipped with state-of-the-art x-ray imaging technology. It provides high-resolution and ultra-clear images for easy object identification with the latest technology of computer control and image processing. Compactly designed, it is an ideal scanner for hand-carried articles at installations where security is of paramount importance.

The system consists of x-ray system, network supervisory work station, operator control console, entry/exit roller table and UPS. It has image zooming capability from a minimum 2X - 16X zoom and continuous zoom up to minimum 64X.

To improve law and order in the railway jurisdiction of eastern India during the imminent festive season, police and RPF will be deployed both in uniform and plainclothes on trains and stations. Special importance will be given to security on late-night trains.

CCTV cameras will be installed at both the new and old complexes of Howrah station and in unreserved coaches of trains. Special passenger help booths manned by police and RPF will be put up.

The Railway Protection Force (RPF) will take several other preventive steps to ensure passengers security. Most of the important mail, express, passenger and local trains will be thoroughly checked by RPF and GRP personnel with sniffer dogs. Passengers' luggage will be checked at Howrah, Sealdah, Kolkata and Gede stations.

Anti-drugging squads will be deployed in plainclothes both in trains and station premises. The RPF will send out messages through the public address system at important stations, asking passengers not to accept food and drinks from strangers. Leaflets and posters will be put up at stations and trains to raise awareness on the dangers involved in accepting edibles from strangers.