A proposal for upgrading the Railway Protection Force Zonal Training College (ZTC) at Moulali in Hyderabad into a Centre of Excellence and making it a National-level training institution is in the advanced stages of consideration, Railways Minister D.V. Sadanand Gowda said.
He was addressing a gathering after reviewing an impressive parade and turnout presented by 421 Cadet Sub-Inspectors of the RPF at the Passing-Out Parade of the the 53rd batch of SIs, that included 42 women belonging to the 2nd batch.
Considering the Railways' focus on ensuring safety of passengers, with specific reference to women and children on board its trains, the RPF urgently needed a National-level training institution and the ZTC-Moulali was ideally suited for the purpose, he said.
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With safety and security being of paramount importance, plans were being drawn up to induct about 4,000 women officers and personnel, forming 32 companies, Mr. Gowda said. Constraints of infrastructure and personnel apart, he said Government would leave no stone unturned in its endeavour to overcome the challenges, he said, adding that all vacancies would soon be filled, across all categories and levels in the different departments of the mammoth organisation.
The 53rd batch officers were trained in three different groups at ZTCs in Moulali, Jagjivan Ram RPF Training Centre, Lucknow and the one at Gorakhpur. As a mark of appreciation, the Minister announced a grant of Rs. 10 lakh each to the three institutions. “We are seriously considering the upgradation of the Moulali ZTC,” he said, to applause from the enthusiastic gathering.
Earlier, Director-General, RPF, Krishna Chaudhary appraised the Minister of the initiatives being taken by the Force to enhance security levels across the length and breadth of the vast network of the Indian Railways. The 53rd batch were trained in three groups because they did not have a large-enough institution, he pointed out.
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In view of the fact that RPF officers and personnel worked in naxalite-affected areas and also because of the increasing instances of crime on board trains, there was a dire need for the personnel to be equipped with the capability to handle firearms, he said. The challenge here was that it was increasingly-difficult to get permission and time at the regular police and military firing ranges, he pointed out.
Responding to the request, Mr. Gowda said he had been told that this problem could be overcome by having simulators to serve as Virtual Firing Ranges. The Board was seized of the matter and very soon ZTCs would get the simulators, assured.
Jaya Singh Chauhan,, Secretary of the Jagjivan Ram Training Centre, Lucknow, presented the training report and others present included General Manager, South Central Railway (SCR), P.K. Srivastava, Chief Security Commissioner, RPF-SCR S.C. Parhi and Principal of the Training Centre, G.M. Eswara Rao.