Bangalore Rly station isn't really safe

Bangalore Rly station isn't really safe
By S Lalitha, DH News Service, Bangalore:
Let the gun-toting Railway Police Special Force (RPSF) men and the presence of many attired in the khaki uniform not lull anyone into a false sense of complacency that the City station is a safe place.


For, the personnel are all positioned at conspicuous Entry or Exit points at the station. Unfortunately, in and around the ten platforms are numerous entry points, totally unguarded, and anyone a wee bit serious about snuffing out the lives of large numbers is bound to exploit these gaping loopholes sometime.

72 trains arrive

The numbers here on any given day are quite staggering. With 72 trains arriving at the station and an equal number departing each day, 1.5 lakh passengers pass the station each day excluding 50,000 who come to bid farewell or receive their kith and kin, public visiting the reservation counters, vendors, railway staff and security personnel.

“The station is a sitting duck! Only after somebody exploits the shoddy safety scenario here will the drastic security measures be adopted,” said a top source.

Unguarded tracks

The easiest way to slip inside unnoticed is by sneaking on to the tracks through the Magadi Road or the Binny Road side. Each of these roads have three narrow passages leading to the track which is unguarded. “One can easily slip inside after dusk here,” a top official said.

Platform 1 is milling with security personnel with a metal detector door but there is a broken gate along the fencing between it and the railway quarters. Many with luggage were spotted squeezing themselves through it. The bridge from Platform 10 that leads to the other end of the quarters is another weak link. A lone RPF man with a lathi was found there. Entry through the yard at the end of the tracks is another unmanned spot.

“I can even prove to you the vulnerability of the station by slipping in through one of the entries with a bag of explosives and roam around the station and get back,” said a highly placed Government Reserve Police (GRP) official.

Manpower shortage

A top RPF official said, the manpower shortage in both the RPF and the GRP needs to be redressed first. “The entire Bangalore division has 480 RPF personnel and a request for 480 more has been made,” he said.

An airport-like security situation needs to be created, a top security official said. “Just shut down all entries and put in place a single entry and exit point first and scrutinise every bit of baggage,” he said. Monitoring of CCTV and stocking its footage must be given more importance.

Divisional Railway Manager Akhil Agrawal said, a review meeting was held early this week with GRP and RPF and the closure of a few entry points were considered. However, he expressed confidence that the dog squads that were presently made to sniff along all trains would be able to detect explosives.