NDLS to shift scanners, create room for people

Passengers boarding trains at New Delhi railway station would soon be relieved of standing in long queues outside the station. Railway authorities have decided to shift the luggage scanners and ticket counters in the arrival lounge on Ajmeri Gate side. 

Currently, the three baggage scanners are placed near the outside stairs of the arrival lounge on the Ajmeri Gate side of the station. 

The Ajmeri Gate enclosure has gradullay been developed as the main entrance of the station, thus handling majority of the over five lakh passenger traffic at the station every day. 

The location of the scanners forces the passengers to stand in long queues in the open.“Several suggestions had come in that regard. The long queues outside were cauing inconvenience to the passengers. We have therefore decided to shift the scanners within the arrival lounge, just before the stairs connecting foot overbridges 2 and 3,” said divisional railway manager Anurag Sachan. 

Officials said while two scanners would be installed near the foot overbridge, the third one would be placed at the direct entry to platform number 16 from the arrival lounge.According to railway officials, the new facilty would require some changes in the arrival lounge as well.

Security check

“With the change in location of the scanners, the entire passenger load for security checking would shift within the arrival lounge,” said a senior Northern Railway official“Therfore, the lounge would have to be cleared of the current rush at the ticket and enquiry counters on the ground floor. The counters would now be shifted towards the outer wall of the arrival lounge,” the official added.

The officials said work for constructing the new counters is likely to begin this month.