Five men to a station, 3 to a train, can you count on RPF?

Three years ago, the RPF, primarily in charge of protecting railway property, was given an added profile8212;passenger security.

Three years ago, the RPF, primarily in charge of protecting railway property, was given an added profile8212;passenger security. The RPF Act and the Railways Act was amended in 2003 and the force was given the additional duties of escorting passenger trains in vulnerable areas and providing access control and regulation of general security on platforms, passenger areas and circulation areas. The amendment came into effect in 2004.

Since then, the Indian Railways has been targeted 178 times by terrorists through either bomb-blasts, sabotage activities or attacks on trains and railway personnel. Around 277 people have been killed in these attacks.

Officials say there is little they can do. Short on staff, funds, equipment and resources, there is little it can do to 8220;ensure the safety, security and boost the confidence of the travelling public in the Indian Railways8221; as its mission statement reads.

Currently, the force has 66,700 personnel which, officials say, is the result of constant downsizing over the past decade. Its proposal demanding urgent induction of 24,000 personnel has been gathering dust in Rail Bhawan for months now. Despite Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav8217;s assurance that the force would be augmented, the Railway Board has not moved on the proposal.

8220;Basking in their new-found status of a transporter earning a lot of money, Railways8217; approach towards security issues can at best be described as callous,8221; a senior RPF official says.

Another proposal to induct around 2,700 personnel in the RPF, cleared by the Railway Board, is stuck at the Finance Ministry.

The budget allocation has been another disappointment. The Indian Railways, spread over roughly 63,465 kilometres, makes no separate allocation under the security head in its budget. 8220;Whatever funds we get are piecemeal and they generally come whenever there is a terror strike like the one in the Mumbai suburban network or the recent blasts on the Delhi-Attari Special,8221; says a top RPF official, requesting anonymity.

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Following the 7/11 blasts on Mumbai8217;s suburban trains, RPF had identified 170 railway stations across the country as sensitive and prepared detailed estimates about their security needs. 8220;Installing security devices like CCTVs, door frame metal detectors, X-ray baggage scanners and raising bomb detection and disposal squads and dog squads at 68 of these stations in the first phase would have cost roughly Rs 150 crore. The total cost of having these measures at all 170 stations would not have exceeded Rs 500 crore, that too, spread over phases. But most of the security proposals sent to various zonal Railways are still pending,8221; the official adds. Northern Railways, for one, has proposals to procure security equipment worth Rs 17.71 crore pending.