CHENNAI: The trouble that a mother and daughter had to undergo onboard a long-distance train recently, during which they were unable to receive adequate assistance despite making distress calls, has turned the attention on the security mechanism currently in place in Chennai division.
Explaining how the system works, when a call is made to the All India RPF helpline 1322, the headquarters has a facility where it can enable a three-way conference: the caller, headquarters and the head of the RPF team on that train. The latter have been assigned mobile phones with a CUG SIM for this purpose.
Each team consists of four men/women and is headed by either an assistant sub-inspector or head constable. The mobile phone would be in the team lead’s possession. The teams would constantly change trains and monitor the long-distance as well as the suburban trains, the official said.
“This is a better way to handle the complaint and increase accountability,” an RPF official said. The RPF has procured 42 sim cards specifically to be assigned to teams and for conference purposes.
The entire mechanism has strict guidelines. All the calls are recorded and a daily report of the complaints and action taken is sent to the office of the Divisional Security Commissioner.
Each of the six ladies special trains has one team of ‘Sakthi Padai’, a women-only force of the RPF constituted specifically to tackle women-related issues on the suburban route. For teams that work in night shifts or areas without adequate lighting, the RPF has recently procured Dragon Search Lights (DSL).