Title - No security cover for Deolali railway station angers locals

NASHIK: Despite being the gateway to the headquarters of the School of Artillery, the Deolali railway station has no formal security cover round-the-clock. There is just one Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel who is informally deployed by the railway authorities during the night. On an average, 28 trains arrive at the station daily. Many of the trains ply during the night hours, which calls for adequate security arrangements at the station located away from the hustle-bustle of the city.Residents of Deolali Camp say that security at the station is important, especially because the railway station is not connected with local bus service operated by the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) and passengers arriving late at night either opt for rickshaws or are forced to wait till the morning hours over safety reasons. Moreover, autorickshaw drivers are known to fleece passengers, charging exorbitantly even for short journeys.Thus, there is a demand of deploying police personnel at the railway station. Officials at the station informed that there is only one personnel of the RPF who takes care of the bandobast, when there is a need of three.However, Inspector Atul Kshirsagar of the RPF stationed at the Nashik Road Railway Station informed that there is no post of an RPF personnel sanctioned for the Deolali Railway Station. However, they have deployed one person just to ensure that things are in control there during late night hours.

Kshirsagar added that Deolali Camp Railway station does not witness passenger rush which may call for stationing RPF personnel on permanent basis. The situation is same at railway stations at Lehvit, Ghoti, Niphad and Lasalgaon and no untoward incident has even been reported.

However, many residents of the camp area feel that the authorities are waiting for a casualty to strike so that security arrangements can be put into place. While many incidents of loots and robberies may be going unreported, the authorities are also neglecting the security threat to the army base by not taking necessary precautionary measures.