Hyderabad Metro Rail authorities have requested Director General of Police M. Mahender Reddy on Tuesday to immediately provide 546 security personnel from experienced private agencies to man the inaugural 30 km route and 24 stations between Nagole-Ameerpet-Miyapur.
Total requirement for the entire project has been put at 2,078 police personnel including home guards, special police officers and private security guards to be deployed by HMR following discussions held by Chief Secretary S.P. Singh with the DGP, Home Secretary Rajiv Trivedi and others in the last few days.
The Force will consist of one DCP, one ADCP, two ACPs and four inspectors at the supervisory level to be located at the main Metro security office in Metro Rail Bhavan (Rasoolpura). Two special Metro Rail Police stations are to be created at Ameerpet and Parade Grounds interchange stations.
Tight security
The talks which also involved the three police commissioners of the capital region, HMR Managing Director N.V.S. Reddy, DGP T. Krishna Prasad (Road Safety) and others, too identified the roles and responsibilities of the government and concessionnaire L&T Metro Rail Hyderabad (L&TMRH) to arrive at the required police strength.
Mr. Singh did not want any compromise in providing the highest security arrangements in terms of technology and gadgets at the metro rail stations and other installations for having a commuter friendly efficient force. Security personnel of both HMR and L&TMRH at metro rail stations will be working under three uniformed police officials per station per shift like one ASI/head constable and two constables.
In due course of time, the security wing will also be having armed components like Quick Response Team (QRT), Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS), Dog Squad, etc. Private security personnel hired by the metro rail authorities assisted by the government police will take care of all offences, it was stated.
Jurisdiction
The DGP has decided that law & order police stations of the three City Police Commissionerates having jurisdiction in coordination with the traffic police stations, Crime/CCS Teams, Task Force/SOT, SHE Teams and so on to provide overall security to all HMR stations falling in their limits for now.
L&T Metro Rail Hyderabad (L&TMRH) has already installed highly sophisticated CCTV cameras at all metro stations and in trains giving 360° coverage, baggage scanners, door frame and hand held metal detectors etc. Its security personnel will be performing CCTV monitoring, queuing and maintaining orderly conduct of passengers, metro station assets and depot security. HMR will be finalising the security agencies soon, said Mr. N.V.S. Reddy.
