Title - Security compromised on running trains

PUNE: The Railway Protection Force (RPF), whose members travel on trains to ensure passengers' safety, want to be on the same 'frequency' as that of train drivers and guards. Although every member of the escort party of RPF on running trains is armed with a walkie-talkie, the RPF jawans cannot communicate either with the driver or the guard on that train since the frequencies of the walkie-talkie sets and that of the guard and driver do not match with that of the RPF men. “The driver and the guard of that train can communicate on the walkie-talkie as they are on the same wavelength. However, if we cannot communicate with them since our sets work on different frequencies. It is essential that frequencies of all the three walkie-talkie sets on that train are the same for better coordination,” sources in RPF said. After the two robberies on running trains in Pune division, the Pune RPF is contemplating to request the railway authorities to match the frequencies of the walkie-talkies used by them and those of the drivers and guards of the train. The Pune division of the RPF has 15 such sets and escort nine long distance trains plying through the division. “When a train suddenly stops while running, we are unable to figure out why it has stopped since we cannot communicate either with the driver or the guard. This issue can only be redressed when all the three walkie talkie sets are on the same frequency,” remarked an RPF official. It is only when the train stops due to chain pulling, the RPF jawans know about it since the driver presses the hooter in a different manner to warn that there has been a chain pulling. “In neighbouring Solapur division, we had some informal arrangement that enabled the RPF escort parties to interact with the guard and driver of trains over the walkie talkie. If similar arrangements could be made in Pune division, it would be of great help to our escort teams,” RPF sources added. 'CELLPHONE CAN SOLVE THE PROBLEM' Railway authorities maintained that it would not be possible to match the frequencies of the walkie talkies of the RPF team and that of the driver and guard of trains since it is only the Railway Board which can take decisions on such crucial issues. “The frequencies of the walkie-talkie are allotted by the Railway Board to all the railway divisions across the country. Moreover, one can use a cellphone when there is a need for urgent communication and hence there should not be any problem,” remarked a railway official.