In the aftermath of the twin blasts on the Bangalore-Guwahati Express on Thursday, which took the life of a young woman and left several injured, Minister of State for Railways Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury claimed that the Railways could not ensure 'foolproof' security for everyone. The remark may have generated heat, but Railway security officials concede that he is right.
Given the sheer volume of passenger traffic in trains and in railway hubs like Chennai, it is well nigh impossible to provide foolproof security, they pointed out. The Egmore railway station receives about one lakh passengers every day. It is the same at the Central railway station. In place at these stations is a three-tier security system comprising the local police, the Railway Protection Force and the Government Railway Police, with the latest security equipment to boot.
"We have sophisticated devices such as baggage scanners, doorframe metal detectors and hand metal detectors," said an RPF inspector. "At the entry point we check baggage manually and, if necessary, through scanners."
The security wing of the Railways is equipped with explosive detection devices. Add to that closed circuit TV cameras installed at crucial points and sniffer dog squads doing the rounds in trains and stations. "We also conduct awareness drives with distribution of pamphlets. Announcements are made over the public address system at railway stations to report the presence of strange objects and warning against touching them," the inspector said.
Despite all these security measures, incidents such as Thursday's tragedy at Central railway station do take place, he rued.
According to a top Railway Police official, hundreds of trains are running, and thousands of passengers travelling in them. "It is difficult to find out who is a bona fide passenger and who is carrying a bomb," she said. "You cannot keep an eye on them all the time."
It is easy for a criminal to perpetrate the crime, but difficult for the police to prevent it, the senior officer pointed out. The inconvenience that is caused to the public by the constant checking and surveillance is at the root of the problem. "Checking and frisking is not usually done, but only when there are specific threats, to prevent harassment of the common man," she said.
Added the RPF inspector, "Some passengers cooperate, some get irritated because they are in a hurry to catch a train. But we have to do our duty."
Chennai: In the aftermath of the twin blasts on the Bangalore-Guwahati Express on Thursday, which took the life of a young woman and left several injured, Minister of State for Railways Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury claimed that the Railways could not ensure 'foolproof' security for everyone. The remark may have generated heat, but Railway security officials concede that he is right.
Given the sheer volume of passenger traffic in trains and in railway hubs like Chennai, it is well nigh impossible to provide foolproof security, they pointed out. The Egmore railway station receives about one lakh passengers every day. It is the same at the Central railway station. In place at these stations is a three-tier security system comprising the local police, the Railway Protection Force and the Government Railway Police, with the latest security equipment to boot.
"We have sophisticated devices such as baggage scanners, doorframe metal detectors and hand metal detectors," said an RPF inspector. "At the entry point we check baggage manually and, if necessary, through scanners."
The security wing of the Railways is equipped with explosive detection devices. Add to that closed circuit TV cameras installed at crucial points and sniffer dog squads doing the rounds in trains and stations. "We also conduct awareness drives with distribution of pamphlets. Announcements are made over the public address system at railway stations to report the presence of strange objects and warning against touching them," the inspector said.
Despite all these security measures, incidents such as Thursday's tragedy at Central railway station do take place, he rued.
According to a top Railway Police official, hundreds of trains are running, and thousands of passengers travelling in them. "It is difficult to find out who is a bona fide passenger and who is carrying a bomb," she said. "You cannot keep an eye on them all the time."
It is easy for a criminal to perpetrate the crime, but difficult for the police to prevent it, the senior officer pointed out. The inconvenience that is caused to the public by the constant checking and surveillance is at the root of the problem. "Checking and frisking is not usually done, but only when there are specific threats, to prevent harassment of the common man," she said.
Added the RPF inspector, "Some passengers cooperate, some get irritated because they are in a hurry to catch a train. But we have to do our duty."