Railway security goes to the dogs

Special sniffer dog squads to patrol six stations as part of Rs 22-crore Integrated Security System post 26/11

Special sniffer dog squads to patrol six stations as part of Rs 22-crore Integrated Security System post 26/11

On November 26, 2008, Mohammed Ajmal Amir Qasab and Abu Ismail entered CST, fired indiscriminately, gunned down over 50 people and injured more than 100.

To prevent a repeat of such a scenario and tighten security, the Central Railway RPF has decided to deploy a dedicated sniffer dog squad at six major stations.

Emergency plan

Eight sniffer dogs will patrol CST from April 2010 as part of a Rs 22-crore Integrated Security System (ISS) implemented by the Central Railway.

Dadar, Kurla, Thane and Kalyan will have two sniffer dogs whereas Lokmanya Tilak Terminus will have one.



"We are in the process of acquiring the dogs. The stations will have kennels too," explained S C Parhi, senior divisional security commissioner.

The Central Railway has its own dog squad, but decided to have a special team at the stations because of the time lost in moving them from one place to another during an emergency.

The sniffer dogs will look for suspicious objects and also check passengers' bags during an emergency.

The 26/11 terror attacks exposed the loopholes in the railway security system and also highlighted the plight of RPF personnel.

The RPF has been battling with meagre resources and apathy from the administration.

Integrated Security System

The railway ministry has sanctioned Rs 22 crore to the Central Railway RPF as part of an Integrated Security System.

Under the system, surveillance cameras will be installed at all stations and modern security equipment like explosive detectors, X-Ray scanners, automatic vehicle scanners and multi-zone door frame metal detectors will be installed at six stations.

Rs 10,000
The approximate cost of each dog

209
The number of people killed in the 26/11 terror attacks

308
The number of people injured in the attacks in south Mumbai

60
The number of people rescued from Nariman House

2
The number of bomb blasts in taxis across the city

8 kg
RDX packed into a bag that was found at CST, a week later

Rs 1 lakh
The compensation amount given to the injured from the PM fund

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