Trains might have come to a grinding halt over a fortnight ago with the introduction of the lockdown. But that has changed very little in the lives of over 450 Railway Protection Force personnel across the Thiruvananthapuram Railway Division (RPF) who continue to be deployed on duty for protecting railway assets.
So, to lift the morale of its men, RPF has brought out a short documentary titled ‘Together We Stand-Together We Fight’ on the various duties being performed by the force across the division.
The two-and-a-half minute long documentary was made by a group of technically adept RPF personnel on the direction of Birendra Kumar, Inspector General, RPF, Southern Railway, based on a concept developed by S. Ramakrishnan, RPF Commissioner, Thiruvananthapuram Railway Division.
“It is not easy to be on duty when the rest of the world is staying in the safety of their homes. Public seems to be under the impression that since railway operations have been suspended RPF men are cooling their heels in the comfort of their homes. While boosting the morale of our men was the primary objective behind the documentary, we also wanted to change that public perception,” said T.S.Gopakumar, Assistant Commissioner, RPF, Ernakulam, who has been leading the technical team involved in the making of the documentary.
The documentary shot across various railway stations in the division gives an overview of works being undertaken by RPF during the lockdown.
From confidence boosting measures to immunity boosting steps through the distribution of hand sanitisers and distribution of vitamin tablets to patrolling of railway tracks and stations, including the surveillance using drones, to Covid-19 awareness classes in railway colonies and distribution of free meals, the documentary covers the diverse activities of RPF.
“With two parcel trains operating in Thiruvananthapuram-Kozhikode route and vice versa every morning since Thursday, inspection of parcels for illicit items has been added to the duties of RPF,” said Mr. Gopakumar.
The documentary has been uploaded on various social media platforms to reach out to maximum people.
