Merger of RPF, GRP proposed

Former Railway Minister C K Jaffer Sharief, speaking at the seminar on rail passengers’ safety organised by the All India Railway Protection Force Association, said the concept of dual responsibility (two police forces) should be done away with.

“In the face of external threats posed by terrorism and internal threats posed by naxalism, it becomes mandatory to strengthen the RPF by increasing its number and giving it additional responsibilities.”  The health sector of the Railways and the RPF are generally neglected and the RPF was demoralised presently, he charged.  Later, he told Deccan Herald later that the GRP could be abolished.

The Association’s national president Kalai Arasan lamented the lack of co-ordination between the two forces in charge of the railway security. “Merger of the forces will help in improving security,” he claimed. MLA Dinesh Gundu Rao seconded his views and called for a merger bearing in mind the safety  of passengers.