The Western Railways (WR) on Wednesday put out the recommendations proposed by five teams that conducted detailed surveys at 36 suburban railway stations following the death of 23 commuters in a stampede at Elphinstone Road station on September 29.
Ravinder Bhakar, WR’s Chief Public Relations officer, said key recommendations included installing high-definition CCTV cameras with an automatic alarm system that alerts passengers in the event of overcrowding and trespassing and relocation of ticket booking centres.
Mr. Bhakar said, “The teams held consultations with municipal bodies, the RPF and passengers, and came up with the list of recommendations.”
ADVERTISEMENT
He said the Western Railway would implement a restricted entry and exit system by constructing barricades at unused spaces in stations.
Mr. Bhakar said the committee had no intention to stop free Wi-Fi service at stations, but the provision would be restricted to entry and exit level platforms as non-passengers were misusing the facility.
He said, “We had been given a deadline of 15 months for installing 1,600 CCTV cameras. Of them, 1,060 have been put up.” Mr. Bhakar said additional security would be deployed at Dadar and Virar stations.
ADVERTISEMENT
The panel has proposed building a new skywalk at Elphinstone Road station. The railways will maintain 29 foot overbridges, while the BMC will be responsible for seven.