RPF duty dogs get ride in first class AC train
Since dogs are sensitive to temperature, senior authorities of the RPF were quite miffed with the incident.
5 min read
Rex (left) and Rego (right) are the latest duty dogs to join Railway Protection Force of Central Railway.
Traveling in first class air-conditioned compartment of Express trains is a novelty for passengers, however, six sniffers became the first such batch of duty dogs in recent times, to experience this luxury while traveling from Gwalior to Mumbai in Hazrat Nizamuddin Lokmanya Tilak Terminus AC Express. But the ‘luxury’ was merely a remedy to the impasse on the pass rules and commercial rules of Indian Railways on carriage of duty dogs. With no clarification from the ministry yet, the Central Railway (CR) had to wait to transport the dogs until a four-seater closed compartment was found available to ensure neither the passengers nor the canines travelled in discomfort.
According to senior railways officers, the coupe was booked for the dogs only after the authorities found that “no reservations were made by passengers”.
“Since there is a lack of clarity we had no option but to wait for an empty coupe so that dogs can be carried without disturbing passengers. In case the coupe is not available we delay the arrival of dogs till a separate closed compartment can be arranged for,” said a senior CR official, who did not want to be identified.
The dogs had completed their training on September 20 but were made to stay at the Border Security Force (BSF) Academy, Tekanpur in Gwalior until September 24.
Perturbed with the way four puppies, recruited for the dog squad of CR, were transported to Mumbai, Pune and Daund in July this year, the zonal railways decided to book an AC closed compartment for the dogs. Earlier in July, citing commercial rules, a ticket checker of Sahyadri Express refused to permit the dogs to travel in AC 2 coach, forcing the handlers to bring the pups in general compartment.
Since dogs are sensitive to temperature, senior authorities of the Railway Protection Force (RPF), which handles the dog squad, were quite miffed with the incident as each puppy costs at least Rs.17, 000. Also, as per the pass rules of RPF, the duty dogs and their handlers are entitled to travel in AC 2 coach and even have a VIP code M05 for making such reservations.
Following the incident in July, Ajay Kumar Singh, Chief Security Commissioner, RPF, CR, wrote to the Railway Ministry to sort out the conflict in the two rules that were creating a trouble in safe carriage of duty dogs in trains. “We have sent a reminder to the Railway Ministry to clarify on the issue again. Transportation of duty dogs has become a serious issue especially after the incident in which they were not allowed to board AC coach despite having a reservation. Since dogs are sensitive to temperate we have to be extremely cautious while transporting them,” said Singh.
The clarification is yet awaited, said the officer. Of the six that will begin service, three arrived in Mumbai on September 25 while one each was sent to Bhusaval, Pune and Daund. Of the six, four are Labradors and the remaining two Dobermans.
Trained at the BSF academy at Tekanpur, the six will assist the RPF in detecting narcotics and alcohol being carried illegally by passengers, especially in trains on the Orissa and Gujarat route. The dogs were sent to the academy for training earlier this year in March.
Their coats comfortably cool, the RPF recruits, each weighing around 25 kilograms, were reported to be ‘well behaved’ as they sat peacefully next to each other in one of the three first class air-conditioned compartments of the super AC Express, even as the train was delayed over eight hours on its overnight journey between Gwalior and Mumbai.
The dogs boarded the train at 12.45am on September 25 at Gwalior station along with their handlers. While three handlers were provided seats in another coach, three others stayed with the duty dogs in the closed compartment to ensure that neighbouring passengers were not troubled.
“When ever the train would halt for long periods, we took them out for a walk on the platform so that they could relax a bit. We ensured that they were given water and food adequately even though the train was running late,” said a RPF officer.
Though the canines were only scheduled for a breakfast in the journey, since the train was late, the handlers also served them lunch.
While Tyson, a Doberman got off with his handler at Bhusaval, Labrador Raj and Rana got down at Pune and Daund respectively. Two Labradors, Rex and Rego were taken to Kalyan station and Doberman Rocky was the last one to finally get off the train late in the evening on September 25.
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