Chennai: In a pilot project by the Southern Railway, a ladies coach was fitted with four CCTV cameras as a safety measure for women. A train from Moore Market Complex (MMC) to Tiruvallur was fitted with the camera a few days ago but officially on Monday, senior divisional officers inspected it.
The project, which is being monitored on a trial basis, will be rolled out to other trains and EMU trains, officials said. “Right now, one coach has been fitted with four cameras and a recorder at a cost of Rs 70,000. Depending on its success and the flow of funds, installation in other coaches would be undertaken,” said a Railway Protection Force (RPF) officer.
According to railway sources, the installation is a preventive measure without any round-the-clock monitoring and that the recordings would be perused at the time of incidents to catch culprits. “It will be helpful in tracking miscreants who indulge in snatching bags and gold chains or misbehave with women passengers. There could be people who try to tamper with the camera or the recorder, which would be an issue. Through this pilot, we will study all possible issues. Any upgradation will be decided in a span of two or three months,” said an officer.
While there are issues regarding the cameras not being tamper-proof, officials feel that this would deter miscreants from creating trouble. “The one installed is a simple camera and recorder. We need a standard operating procedure before it is rolled out to other trains so that the monitoring of recordings also takes place,” said a senior official.
“We intend to cover all trains under such surveillance measure. It will depend on funds and the status of the tendering process,” said senior divisional security commissioner K.K. Ashraff.
