BENGALURU : In a major boost to safety of women passengers, the South Western Railway Zone has put in place 340 CCTVs across railway stations. The upgraded security apparatus has been commissioned at a cost of Rs 8.17 crore under the Nirbhaya Fund.
This Internet-based Video Surveillance System (IVSS) envisages using CCTV cameras which are connected by optical fibre cables. Aneesh Hegde, Chief Public Relations Officer, SWR, said Shivamogga, Hassan, Davanagere, Bangarpet, Kengeri, Bangalore Cantonment, Sathya Sai Prashanti Nilayan, Hubballi, Vasco da Gama, Hosapete, Belagavi and Ballari railway stations have installed the facility in February 2021.
“An Integrated Security Command and Control Centre was set up simultaneously,” he said. The process of installing them in Gadag, Bijapur and Mysuru stations are under way, Hegde added.
“The advantage this system offers is that of remote monitoring of all locations covered by it. The video feed from these new cameras can be monitored from one central place, the divisional or zonal control office. In the earlier CCTV system, the feed was localised to the particular station where the camera was installed,” Hegde said.
The Railway Protection Force would be responsible for monitoring them inside the station and the Government Railway Police would do it outside the station limits, the CPRO said. Alok Kumar, Inspector General and Principal chief Security Commissioner, RPF, SWR, told TNIE,
“The IVSS system of surveillance has been adopted in all major stations/junctions of SWR keeping in sync with technological development. This will be helpful in keeping a watch on known criminals, habitual offenders if and when they move to railway stations.” Railway public sector unit RailTel in a statement said that the IVSS system can store footage for upto 30 days.