Over the last seven months, Western Railway officilas have tested two models of Closed Circuit Television cameras, which produced shaky images. They are now considering cameras with traction technology that absorb shock at 80 kmph
This June, Western Railways installed Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras in one local train on trial basis. Unhappy with the shaky images, the CCTV company replaced the cameras with an advanced model last month. But, the officials are not convinced.
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Western Railways u00a0has installed CCTV cameras in a local train on a trial basis. File Pic
“The company that is providing the cameras has given us an advanced version after the trial failed in June. However, we are still not satisfied. We will test them for a month or two,” said a senior WR official, adding that they are now looking for the cameras which are based on traction technology.”u00a0“The train sometimes crosses 80 kmph and we need equipment which will absorb shock and vibrations and capture a clear recording,” added the official.u00a0
Commuters speak
Meanwhile, commuters feel safer when a Railways official is in the compartment instead of a CCTV. According to Monika Mishra, who commutes between Dahisar and Kandivli every day, it takes a crime incident for the Railways to take action. “The moment an untoward incident takes place, officials come up with a new plan. But the security at stations is never fool-proof. Authorities should, in fact, train their staff to help passengers on the spot when a crime is committed.” u00a0Another commuter Ashwini Kamath agreed with Mishra. “We are not sure that the CCTV is working or whether it is being monitored. A cop in the compartment would be able to protect commuters in case of an emergency,” she said.
Recent crimes in train coaches
August 18: American national, Michelle Marks, was assaulted inside the first-class compartment of a local train near Charni Road by a drug addict, who stole her mobile phone
August 26: Nalla Sopara resident, Rupali Shinde, was assaulted by an unidentified man while she was boarding the train at Goregaon
September 5, Dombivli resident and a single mother, Aarti Gholapkar fell off a Thane-bound train after being attacked by a robber. She died two days lateru00a0
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