Title - Security takes a backseat at Kanpur Central Railway Station

KANPUR: Following serial bomb blasts at Bodh Gaya in Bihar alert was sounded in the state. However, it seems that it was not meant for the North Central Railway (NCR) authorities, Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Government Railway Police (GRP).On Tuesday, TOI team undertook a reality check on security arrangements at the Kanpur Central. The result was an eye-operner. Security arrangement was missing at the Cantt side entrance of the station. The entry on platforms remained unrestricted with the few cops deployed on the station remained aloof to the threat. The metal detectors were missing.A few years back, these detectors were installed amidst fanfare. The detectors conked off about one-and-a-half year back, they went out of order. Railway authorities never cared to get them repaired. Broken boundary wall of the station continues to provide easy access to platforms. Anti-socials elements use these spots to escape after committing a crime. The recent spurt in incidence of loot in trains at the outer of Kanpur Centre is a case in point. The openings in boundary wall act as a perfect escape route for criminals.

As a routine, security is beefed up at the station after bomb blasts in any part of the country. However, the arrangement lasts only for a day or two. Security drills too have become a routine exercise and lack seriousness. During such drills, trains and platforms are checked once or twice and then everything returns to normal. Though the station authorities have repeatedly received letters threatening to blow-off Kanpur Central, the authorities at one of the busiest railway stations of the country continue to overlook security arrangements. Incidentally, passengers do not think in similar manner.

They want extensive security arrangements, including frisking, baggage checking counters etc to travel safely. Though no untoward incident has been reported so far, the station remains sensitive owing to heavy rush of passengers and the number of trains passing through it.

Though the RPF and the GRP officials said that proper security arrangements have been put in place on the station premises, it remains confined to papers claims. The RPF, is battling acute staff crisis in managing a large area starting from Kanpur Central to Chandari railway station. A watch is maintained on the station premises through 31 CCTV cameras. A senior RPF official, on condition of anonymity said "100 such cameras with night vision facility are required to maintain a watch on the entire premises. It would also enable us to keep watch on activities at the Howrah and Delhi end of the station." The RPF already has a dedicated CCTV monitoring room on platform number one where an RPF personnel keeps a tab on screens. The system was set up five years back. RPF inspector Sanjay Pandey said CCTV cameras were working properly and added that RPF personnel undertook frisking of passengers from time to time. A railway official said that 500 coolies were operating on various platforms and 20% of them were illegal.

He said that at least four DFMDs and two baggage scanners were required to improve scenario. "Keeping in mind the passenger strength here and the number of trains that pass through, we are under-staffed. Our area begins from Prempur and ends at Jhakarkati for which we are only 115 personnel. This number should be increased as we are over-burdened", said another RPF official on the condition of anonymity.

The Government Railway Police rely on RPF for CCTV monitoring. SN Tiwari, Circle Officer, GRP, Kanpur Central said that two cameras were installed to monitor activities of passengers on platforms. He further said that the GRP staff worked in co-ordination with the RPF in maintaining security at the busy railway station. When questioned about the security of the railway station premises, as the boundary walls of the station was damaged at a number of places, the senior police official said that he had written a letter to the senior railway officials in December 2012 before the start of Maha Kumbh mela expressing concern over the security of the railway station. However, he is still waiting for a response.An officer of North Central Railways said that there is no requirement of door frame metal detectors as the job of frisking is done by hand-held metal detector. When questioned about the broken walls of the Kanpur Central, he said that he was unaware of it.