Security has been stepped up at important railway stations in Mysore division following the twin blasts onboard the Bangalore–Guwahati Express at Chennai Central station on Thursday.
‘Instructions issued’Divisional Railway Manager Rajkumar Lal told The Hindu they had security protocol in place that automatically came into effect during such situations. He, however, added that he had given instructions to senior security personnel to personally supervise the operations.
“Though there are no major threat perceptions regarding Mysore division, nothing is left to chance. At the Mysore station, we have an established security protocol for the rakes maintained at the station,” he said.
“While some of the cleaning operations have been outsourced through private contractors, there is no entry without ID cards. In addition, their activities are monitored by the Railway Police and the Railway Protection Force,” said Mr. Lal.
In addition, senior officials conducted random security checks, he added. Mr. Mohanan, a senior official in charge of security, said important trains were checked for suspicious objects by sniffer dogs while the RPF squad provided security for all long-distance trains running in the division. “The squad accompanies the trains running through sensitive areas,” he said.
Another official on condition of anonymity said that while preventive measures were in place, there was also a high degree of monitoring though it was unobtrusive by nature. Most of these security protocols came into place following earlier terror attacks on trains.
In the meantime, the Integrated Security System for Mysore is being put in place in a phased manner and this includes round-the-clock monitoring of the station premises through a network of closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras, vehicle and baggage scanning instruments and metal detectors at the main entry and exit points.
Important stationMysore is one of the important stations identified for implementing the Integrated Security System in view of its tourism importance and originating passenger traffic from the station.
Apart from the platforms, the parking area and maintenance section would also be under surveillance. Mr. Lal said that while some of the measures are already in place, implementation was an ongoing process. It would be completed in another six to eight months at an estimated cost of Rs. 3 crore, he said.
