Western Railway has taken a giant leap forward in the utilization of technologies to ensure full proof safety and security of its passengers. Various advances such as use of drone technology, Biometric Token Machines, QR Code based e-Pass system, Segways at platforms, etc. are some of the initiatives adopted by Railway Protection Force in this direction. In the most recent development, a QR Code based E-Patrolling & Beat Management System has also been launched by the RPF of Mumbai Central Division to cover all the railway stations and major sensitive spots.
- This system which is a first of its kind in the entire Indian Railways was recently inaugurated by Shri Alok Kansal – General Manager of Western Railway.
- According to a press release issued by Shri Sumit Thakur – Chief Public Relations Officer of Western Railway, various technological initiatives & measures have been taken by the security wing of Western Rly to keep a tab on the safety & security of the passengers.
E-Patrolling & Beat Management System:
- E-Patrolling & Beat Management System is a recently introduced advanced system for staff management and security monitoring.
- This system ensures effective supervision and real time monitoring of on-duty staff for systematic coverage of duty beats of the entire division.
- Daily/Monthly analytical reports with graphical representation and geospatial mapping of staffs are an add-on feature to get a quick view on the security position.
- Through the custom designed mobile application, staff logs in their attendance at the duty point by scanning the QR code installed at the spot.
- They can be directed to attend any unforeseen events through the group messaging and e-notice board feature incorporated into the system.
- With the successful execution of the system in the division, it will now be extended to all the divisions across Western Railway.
CCTV cameras with artificial intelligence:
- Shri Thakur stated that 2600 CCTV cameras with artificial intelligence, advanced video analytics capabilities and machine learning are also being set up between Churchgate and Virar stations of Mumbai Central Division.
- RPF has detected 21 cases till now in 2020 including heinous crimes such as theft, robbery and molestation by using CCTV footage.
- The futuristic CCTV system installed not only will enable the RPF to prevent and detect crimes but also to identify, avert and attend contingencies like fire, overcrowding, littering etc proactively.
- Regular drives are also being conducted against unauthorized Hawkers in train and Railways premises under the relevant provision of Railways Act.
- During the year 2020, so far 4098 hawkers & vendors have been prosecuted and an amount Rs. 17,35,200/- has been recovered as fine.
- Special squads for unauthorized vendors have also been formed at station level and surprise checks as well as special drives are conducted time to time by these special squads.
- In addition to this, joint drives are also conducted frequently against unauthorized hawking menace in city area adjacent to entry / exit of Railway stations, FOBs/ROBs, subways etc. in co-ordination with concerned MCGM /MBMC / VVMC officials over Mumbai suburban section.
Drone technology:
- Another major technological step is the induction of drone technology.
- Drones are envisaged to keep an eye on the vast assets of the railway.
- Crime prone locations are identified for surveillance over criminals with Quick Response Teams on the ground for real time tracking and action.
- The system provides valuable assistance and intelligence in averting contingencies of accidents, disasters or terror strikes.
- A centralized Command and Control Centre has been setup for monitoring & surveillance for entire suburban railway network of the division.
- Segways have been provided at important stations such as Churchgate, Bombay Central, Bandra Terminus, Borivali and Andheri.
- The mobility of force members has been enhanced with rapid reduction in response time.
- 11 units of these battery operated refined technology equipment are being used by the staff for quick patrolling of platforms in a very short time.
Cyber Cell:
- Shri Thakur further informed that in order to curb the incidents of cyber-crimes, a specialised Cyber Cell has been set up at Zonal level to assist all the divisions with expertise in cyber investigations crime detection.
- This cell enables to analyze the cyber-crimes, helps in identification and preservation of digital evidences, social media analysis, intelligence gathering, cyber patrolling. Advanced tools for video analytics and cyber security are set up with a dedicated team, working round the clock to secure digital assets of Indian Railways.
- PRABAL module data is being used to put checks on illegal E-ticket touting.
- 107 touts have been caught using PRABAL data till now in 2020 with recovery of 3742 e-tickets worth Rs 96,02,794.
Biometric Token Machines:
- Biometric Token Machines have been installed at Mumbai Central and Bandra Terminus stations & incorporated into the security infrastructure of the division to streamline the flow of passengers.
- It is envisaged as a solution to prevent the chaotic situation at the time of boarding in general compartments of long distance trains.
- These machines assist in the collection of databases of biometric information which can be utilized for detection and prosecution of criminals involved in different passenger related crimes like theft, robbery, touting, seat cornering, drugging etc.
- During the ongoing pandemic induced lockdown, when the special suburban trains are being run only for essential category staff & other nominated categories of public, QR Code based e-Pass system was developed in coordination with Central Railways, Maharashtra Police & MCGM in a record time of one month which is another pioneering work of Mumbai Central Division during COVID times.
- This system was widely appreciated for regulating the access of essential service staff in Mumbai Suburban trains.
Source: Western Railway-Press Release | Image Credit (representational): Western Railway
