JOIN USThe two stations are presently equipped with 51 round-the-clock-surveillance cameras, monitored from a centralised location on Platform Five of the City station.
Chief Security Commissioner (CSC), Railway Police Force (RPF), South Western Railway, Subash Chandra Mishra, said the need to allot extra cameras has been agreed to in principle. “It will be implemented shortly. We are not sure of the exact number the Bangalore Division will be allotted.” The cameras would be at the City and Yeshwantpur railway stations.
The City station currently has 41 cameras tracked by the RPF. They were inaugurated in March 2006. Yeshwantpur has ten cameras, which are also tracked from here. “Two cameras at Yeshwantpur were removed due to construction work there,” a source said.
“Since one of the big screens at Yeshwantpur conked off, it has been sent to New Delhi to be set right. Presently, Yeshwantpur is being monitored from the City station alone,” he added.
At the City station, the cameras are installed at strategic points to give an overview of the platforms. They can swivel 180 degrees at regular intervals. These are also positioned at all entry and exit points, the lobby area, the parking points, restaurants and at crowded places at the station.
RPF personnel use three big screens at the monitoring centre to keep a round-the-clock watch of the cameras. Since the cameras are capable of storing images for three days, the recorded portions can be accessed if past footage was required in the event of untoward incidents.
However, a railway official said it was not possible to provide such cameras at other smaller stations in the near future. “Apart from Cantonment station, many trains stop over at the stations of Bangalore East, Bangarpet, K R Puram, Whitefields, etc. We do not have sufficient cameras to take care of all spots,” he said.