Railways to put up CCTVs at 983 stations using Nirbhaya fund
The Indian Railways will install about 19,000 CCTVs at 983 stations at a cost of ?500 crore using Nirbhaya fund. At present, out of about 8,000 stations, 344 have already been provided with CCTVs. Besides stations, important trains will also be equipped with CCTVs. The Centre had created Nirbhaya fund with ?1,000 crore in 2013 after December 16 gang-rape incident.n
New Delhi, May 15 (PTI) Indian Railways will install CCTV surveillance system at more than 900 stations under the Nirbhaya Fund at an approved cost of Rs 500 crore to strengthen security at rail premises. Tenders will be floated shortly to install about 19,000 high definition CCTV cameras at 983 stations across the country to ensure round-the-clock security to passengers including women. The Centre had created Nirbhaya Fund with a Rs 1000 crore corpus in its 2013 Union Budget to support initiatives by the government and NGOs working towards protecting the dignity and ensuring safety of women in the country. The project envisages installation of cameras at platforms and waiting areas while there will be control rooms at stations to monitor CCTV footages by trained RPF personnel constantly. The station master will also be given access to monitor CCTV camera footage as part of the project being undertaken by the public transporter, said a senior Railway Ministry official. Railways have about 8,000 stations out of which currently 344 stations have already been provided with CCTV cameras. "It is helping us in a great way. The signboard reading You are under watch has a preventive effect on criminal minds," the official said. Besides keeping a constant watch, the CCTV surveillance system helps in post-incident crime investigation. Railways aims to cover all stations with the CCTV system phase-wise. 