Title - Gaps show in suburban railway security

CHENNAI: There was no sign of increased vigil at Mambalam railway station on Monday, a day after a gelatin stick-like object in a garbage bin triggered a bomb scare. Similar was the scene at a majority of the suburban stations along the busy Beach-Tambaram stretch used by more than 4 lakh commuters every day.

Interrupted fund flow and procedural delays have kept on paper the railways' plans for comprehensive security cover for the suburban railway stations. With the anniversary of Babri Masjid demolition approaching, Railway Protection Force (RPF) and state government's railway police are focusing more on monitoring Central and Egmore, the two big railway stations in the city. CCTV cameras have been installed at Beach, Mambalam and Tambaram, but the 16 other suburban stations don't have such a facility. Of the two CCTVs installed at Mambalam, an advertisement board obstructs the view of a camera installed near a foot-over bridge while another camera near the ticket counter is defunct. Sunday's discovery of the explosive-like object with a wick at one end was in a part of Mambalam station not covered by the CCTV system.

In the Chennai-Arakonam stretch, only the Moore Market Complex station and Basin Bridge station have cameras while there are none in the Gummidipoondi stretch.

Personnel from four RPF units - Mambalam, St Thomas Mount, Egmore and Tambaram — have to monitor stations on the Beach-Tambaram stretch. "We have identified vulnerable stations in terms of crime against commuters and threats to railway property. We have deployed our men on trains. CCTVs are going to be upgraded at Mambalam and more will be installed at other stations," said a senior official. Providing security at suburban stations is not easy for RPF and railway police because the stations are open on all sides and commuters do not follow a regular path to enter and exit stations. "It is impossible to use door frame metal detectors at suburban stations because commuters often use foot over bridges. Many hop across railway tracks and exit stations through broken walls," said an RPF official.

Southern Railway recently introduced a security system by which CCTV camera feeds of Chennai Central, Madras Moore Market Complex, Egmore and Basin Bridge stations can be monitored from a control room at Central.