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Security up at Mumbai stations but all not secure
Published on Sun, Sep 21, 2008 at 23:14 in 
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POST 7/11: Railway officials admit money spent on security arrangements is a wastage.
Mumbai: Two years ago deadly train blasts rocked Mumbai and left victims with horrific memories. Railways also implemented many security measures but they have not proved to be of much help.
Everyday over six million people use Mumbai local trains to commute. This is the highest density of passengers in the world but two years ago it faced one of the worst security nightmares.
One of the blasts victims, Maulin Momaya is still trying hard to forget those horrifying memories. He was badly injured in the blast that took place at the Khar railway station.
“It was horrible. I haven’t travelled on a train after that,” says Momaya.
After the blasts, the railways announced a number of security measures but they haven’t proved to be of much help.
Initially railways experimented with metal detectors. In a three-day trial at Church gate station last November, every commuter was to be checked with metal detector but the grand plan crashed down on the first day itself.
Later, five months ago CCTVs were installed at the railway stations but the railway officials admit that it was a wastage of Rs 1.2 crore because this would help only after an event had occurred.
“There is a budget and this is what we could give them. If they had increased the budget we could have given them more intelligent technology,” says MD Zicom Pramod Rao.
One or two major stations are patrolled by Sniffer dogs too but officials say there just isn't enough personnel to man all the new equipment that comes in.
“Nothing more can be done. Police have not found any way to detect bombs, they have failed and the stations are all open from all sides,” says Divisional Railway Manager Satya Prakash.
And, therefore people like Momaya have no choice but to use the city's rail network once again.
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