Having remained idle for several months after its installation, the Under Vehicle Scanners (UVS) fixed at both entrances of the Tiruchi railway junction has been put into operational use now.
The hi-tech gadgets procured under the Integrated Security Scheme (ISS) to beef up security at Tiruchi railway station is being manned in shifts by personnel of the Railway Protection Force (RPF) vested with the responsibility of safeguarding passengers and ensuring their safety.
Although the scanners were installed at the main entrance and at the Kalluzhi entrance last year itself, the equipment remained idle for long for different reasons. Costing nearly Rs. 50 lakh, the advanced scanners which had gathered dust was cleaned up a few days ago and tests carried out to ascertain its working efficacy as it had remained idle for long.
It was found that the equipment worked satisfactorily following which a group of RPF constables were explained about the functioning of the scanners. RPF sources told ‘The Hindu’ that the scanners had been put into operational use now to look out for any foreign objects hidden underneath four-wheelers entering the station.
A select group of RPF constables has been deployed in three shifts at the main entrance and at the Kallukuzhi side to monitor the images generated from the scanners.
The scanners are connected to the computer terminals installed inside the pre-fabricated cabins set up at both entrances of the station. RPF constables seated inside the cabin monitor the images that appears on the computer terminal generated from the scanners.
The sources said the scanners get activated the moment a vehicle approaches the censor approaching line. As the vehicle passes over the scanner, the images of the undercarriage appears on the monitor enabling RPF personnel to identify any foreign or hazardous objects placed beneath the vehicle.
The surveillance cameras fixed close to the cabins capture the images of the registration number of the vehicle and the driver which could also be seen in the computer terminal in addition to the underneath portion of the vehicle.
More RPF personnel would be trained about the functioning of the equipment, the sources said.
The scanners were among the slew of security gadgets procured under the ISS which was conceived by the railway administration in the aftermath of the Mumbai terror attacks in November 2008.
Tiruchi was one among the major railway stations in the country identified for implementation of the ISS to fortify security and surveillance.
Also procured under the ISS were a host of surveillance cameras which are already working in various platforms at Tiruchi station.
