Mumbai: Do you know that there are only 3,500 Government Railway Police (GRP) personnel assigned for the security of nearly 75 lakh passengers, who travel in the Central Railway and the Western Railway daily? With this, the ratio stands at one person for 2,143 commuters.
Data obtained through the RTI found that the force, which works in two shifts, needs at least 6,884 officers to perform their job efficiently. The figure is divided into 3,019 constables, 3,347 assistant inspectors, and 518 inspectors and sub-inspectors.
Activist Samir Zaveri, who has filed the RTI, said there is a security threat to passengers. “The load of passengers has increased, but the strength of the force is what it was 20 years ago. The crime is on the rise, and the current number is not enough for such a large number of passengers,” said Mr. Zaveri.
On an average, nine people die on tracks every day and hundreds of crime take place on railway premises, platforms, and even inside trains.
However, the strength of the GRP in Mumbai division is 3,500. “All of them are not present on a given day as some call in sick while many are on leave for various reasons. Besides, there are officers deputed to office and for investigation of criminal cases,” said Mr. Zaveri.
The RTI query found that the recommended strength of inspectors is 52, while the present number is 40. Similarly, the required figure of sub-inspectors is 138 against the present 99. This apart, there are 420 posts of police constables lying vacant.
Jai Jeet Singh, Additional Director General of Police, GRP, said, “This is a projection. However, manpower requirement is dynamic and will be reduced substantially with the use of cutting edge technology.”
Subhash Gupta, president, Rail Yatri Sangh, said, “This is high time that the railway authorities thought seriously about filling the vacant posts.”
The Hindu spoke to a senior GRP officer, who confirmed the RTI, and said, “We have been facing the staff crunch for years. We have written to the authorities for filling the vacant posts, but nothing has been done. It is difficult to tackle hundreds of crimes every day.”
