A sensational development and changes are gradually creeping in as the PM Narendra Modi’s government is already on an important objective to transform the entire infrastructure of the Indian Railways.
In a bid to strengthen the security on trains as well as at the railway stations in the country, Indian Railways is spear-heading its mission to install as many as 12 lakh CCTV (Closed-circuit television) cameras. In addition to that, it can provide a safe and secure travel experience for the commuters.
The Railways has already set around Rs 3,000 crore in its budget for 2018-19 to install CCTV systems in all 11,000 trains inclusive of premier and suburban services as well as at the 8,500 stations in the Indian rail network.
According to the plan, each coach will have a total of 8 CCTV cameras covering the entry gates, aisle and vestibules. All important points at stations will have the CCTV systems.
According to IANS, a senior Railway Ministry Official said that 395 stations and about 50 trains are already equipped with CCTV systems. Now their objective is to spread it across all states of the country to provide ‘safety’ and ‘security’ at Railway premises.
“All mail/express and premier trains, including Rajdhani, Shatabdi, Duronto and local passenger services, will be equipped with the modern surveillance systems in the next two years,” he added. Railways is also looking into different options to fund the installation of the CCTV surveillance systems.
Considering the increased number of derailments last year, Railways is now giving top-notch priority to ‘safety’ and ‘prevention’ of mishaps and then enhancing commuter amenities to make the journey a pleasant one. There will also be a replacement of all old tracks in the times to come.
Apart from track defects, unmanned level-crossings are also among the reasons for a maximum number of train accidents in this country and the official said that the whole department is planning to eliminate all unmanned level crossings by 2020, the official said.
