Title - Lax security at city railway station-

Feel free to enter from any unmanned entrance of the Chandigarh Railway Station as the Railway Police Force (RPF) has not deployed any security personnel to keep a check on the commuters.A classic example of how ill-equipped the station premises is can be gauged from the fact that on the Panchkula side, there are multiple unmanned entrances and no scanning equipment or metal detectors have been installed at the entry point, except deployment of two ill-equipped RPF officials for security check to avoid any untoward incident.Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) PK Sangi said: “As the inflow of commuters from the Panchkula side is less, the authorities have deployed only two RPF personnel to keep a check on that side”.He said there were no fresh proposals for enhancing security on that side. After the renovation of the building on the Panchkula side, security arrangements would be reviewed afresh.Making a mockery of the security check on the Chandigarh side of the Railway Station, the authorities have installed metal detectors at the main entrance, but the commuters are free to use any unmanned entry points to enter the railway station. Even they do not hesitate to enter from the exit point of the station without going through any check as no police personnel stop them there also. The VIP entry point at the station is also used by the commuters without any security check.

During a visit to the station, it was found that no RPF personnel was sitting at the police assistant booth at the platform number 1 for assisting the commuters. Records of the RPF revealed that around 50 RPF personal have been deployed in the city, out of which 8 to 10 were deployed at the railway station. While visiting the railway station after the departure of the third Shatabdi at 12 noon, the presence of RPF staff was hardly found on the platform.

Sangi said there was no need to depute additional RPF personnel at the Railway Station as the authorities would be able to handle the situation with the available staff.