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Journalism of Courage
I didn8217;t know about the drive till it began: Railway CP
Pandemonium greeted the Mumbai Railway Commissionerate on its very first day of operation as hundreds of slumdwellers resisted a demolition drive initiated by the Central Railway at Sewri. With senior Railway Police officials and even Minister of State for Railways Ram Naik insisting that they had been kept in the dark about the demolition, tough times are ahead for the Commissionerate. But the new Commissioner of Police, Railways, Shamshuddin Mushrif, tells FARIDA SHAIKH that under him, things will be different.
How did the demolition drive on Monday get out of hand?
The Railways did not anticipate the unfortunate incident and nobody should be blamed for it. Though the drive did not get out of hand, it was not carried out in the proper manner. I did not even know about it till it began. When the information reached us, I instructed a DCP to visit the spot and persuade the people not to create trouble. The operation wascalled off later. Had I been in this chair for at least a week, the entire situation would have been handled differently.
What will you do the next time a demolition order is given?
Demolition of slums is a very sensitive issue 8211; after all it8217;s someone8217;s house you are destroying. You cannot say that you will demolish 50 houses today and the next 50 tomorrow. Because the moment you attack one house, there is a snowballing effect and you have to face a mob.
First, a decision has to be taken on what exactly has to be demolished. This will be decided in a meeting between the two GMs of the Railways and the Chief Secretary on October 15. There are several points to be considered: whether all slums within 30 feet of the tracks or only a part of it have to be demolished or only the ones that have sprung up after 8217;95. Once the decision is taken, a coordination meeting will be convened. The Railway Police, the Railways, city police and upto some extent even the municipal corporation is involved in suchoperations.
I will send my officers and gather intelligence reports of the area to anticipate the response. By and large, I can assure you that what happened on Monday will not be allowed again.
Do you think the entire thing went out of hand because of the wide publicity given to it?
I don8217;t think such drives should be publicised in advance. They should be done discreetly since there is no provision to give anybody an advance notice. If a firm decision is taken by the authorities concerned, we can be aggressive right from the beginning when the mob is small and controllable.
What are your priorities for the 60 lakh people travelling on the suburban Railways?
Increasing police presence on trains and platforms will be my first priority. I am looking into the duties of the 3,865-strong force and where exactly they will be stationed. There are plans to increase patrolling time from 6 pm onwards in the ladies and first class compartments. Mobile patrolling which is being carried out in afew long distance trains will be extended to other trains as well.
There are plans for connecting the guard, constable and drivers on long distance trains using walkie talkies. We are also planning to have raised booths for the police on platforms so that the commuters can see them from a distance.
Is the strength of the force and infrastructure enough?
About 400 men have to be recruited for the five new police stations to be set up. This should be done by December. However, we will not wait for new police station premises to be handed over to begin our work. Our job has already begun and suggestions from commuters are welcome to increase our efficiency.
