The Dilsukhnagar blasts seem to have woken up the Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) to intensifying security measures, including the installation of CCTV cameras at important bus stations. The city’s Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station (MGBS) will receive special attention.
The blasts, coupled with the discovery of 10 abandoned detonators at the MGBS premises last week, has forced the RTC authorities to install six more CCTV cameras in addition to the existing 28. About a dozen more hand-held metal detectors were also being procured in addition to the eight being used presently. Further, 19 more security staff would be recruited to support the 84-strong security personnel monitoring security at the MGBS, RTC Greater Hyderabad zone Executive Director A. Koteswara Rao told reporters on Sunday.
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Plans are afoot for installing 60 CCTV cameras at the Jubilee Bus Station, Dilsukhnagar bus station, Central Bus Station (Gowliguda), Patancheru, Koti, ECIL Commuter Amenity Centres, Rathifile and Charminar bus stations to observe movements of persons in the station premises.
About 39 hand-held detectors would also be provided for security staff at these stations for random baggage checks. On the whole, presently 127 security personnel were working at different stations in the capital and this number would be increased to 216 persons, he said.
“All these security measures are being taken up at a cost of Rs.70 lakh and would be put in place in a month,” Mr. Rao said.
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CCTV cameras numbering 150 will also be installed at Guntur, Warangal, Tirupati, Karimnagar, Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada bus stations. Though a few stations already had these cameras, efforts are onto beef up security at important stations across the State, said RTC Vigilance Director, Venkateswara Rao.
Mobile metal detectors and door frame detectors are also to be installed at several stations. All these equipment would be procured with an estimated cost of Rs. 1 crore very shortly, he added.