Rail Offices to have Biometric Security

By Ayaan Khan

The Railways has drawn up a major plan to bolster its security by introducing biometric system for controlling access to its vital offices. The move has been taken keeping in mind the heightened threat from terrorists and naxalites.

The security aspect of the plan has also been urgently incorporated in the “World Class Station (WCS) project”. Bidders for this project—over 86 hectares of land area in Delhi—have to ensure that every office in the multi-storied building has foolproof security.

Access to all vital railway offices will be controlled through the biometric system or smart cards, ensuring that only authorised officials enter them. These offices include the control room (from where all train movements are controlled and planned), the railways internet system, the PRS data base (which contains vital information on trains, passengers, their identity and movement), and the cash reserve office (where between Rs 3.5 lakh and Rs 4 lakh cash is handled in New Delhi every day).

There will be an electronic surveillance system on all floors of the railway building. The parcel areas are being segregated and large scanners are to be installed to scan each and every luggage. Surveillance cameras and bomb detection equipment will be installed in the parking areas, according to a senior railway official.

To ensure that terrorists don’t enter railway stations, there will be strict security check at the peripheral entry of stations. The world class station coming up at New Delhi, which will be replicated at 22 other places, will ensure that entry and exit will be on separate floors. Keeping in mind stations are a public place, the authorities are providing a multi-layered security system, where some offices will be out of bounds for the public.

At present on an average, about 4 lakh people visit New Delhi railway station every day. The WCS coming up here envisages a futuristic plan of accommodating 8 lakh people. To further reduce the pressure, another railway station at Anand Vihar in East Delhi is fast coming up. The railways is constructing two more mega railway stations at Holimbi Kalan in North Delhi and at Bijwasan on the Dwarka-Gurgaon border in South-West Delhi. Several major trains will be shifted to these stations for convenience of passengers. The process of land acquisition for these two terminals is underway.

However, People will be allowed to enter other areas after due scrutiny, the official said.