Republic Day almost here,‘additional security’ nowhere

Though the DSP claimed that the GRP and Railway Protection Force (RPF) work in coordination to check security at the station,when asked about the defunct metal detector,he passed the buck saying it was the RPF’s responsibility. At the Panchkula entrance of the railway station,security checks are as good as non-existent.

Officials say in view of the Republic Day,around 35 extra GRP personnel and eight RPF personnel (all armed) have been deployed at the railway station,but hardly any of these “added forces” could be spotted when a Newsline team visited the station. Though there are always some GRP personnel posted at the bunker at the station’s main entrance,installed last year after the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. The only saving grace is the 27 CCTV cameras installed at the station by the Ambala Division,which are are monitored by the RPF.

Security proposals mooted almost two years back still hang fire. These include installation of X-ray machines,metal detectors,baggage scanning machines,and deployment of dog squads; sealing of station entry and exit points with a boundary wall. In the latest Rail Budget,Rs 64 crore was sanctioned for installing integrated security systems at 38 railway stations,which includes Chandigarh.

As for the two inter-state bus terminuses (ISBTs),one could not spot more than two police personnel at each.

“Extra force has been deployed from the last few days,with six CRPF personnel on duty round the clock at ISBT-43. We also have reserve police force for important days,” said Sub-Inspector Devender Singh at the ISBT-43 police post.