Plan being drawn up for railway tracks’ security

KOLKATA - An action plan will be prepared to ensure safety of the passengers and to secure the railway tracks along the 150-km stretch of the South Eastern Railway passing through the Maoist-infested forested stretches of West Bengal, officials said Friday.

“The 150-kilometre stretch in the Kharagpur-Rourkela and Kharagpur-Adra sections, passes through the Maoist-affected districts of West Midnapore and Purulia. So, special security measures are required to protect the railways tracks from damages caused by the ultras,” state Home Secretary Samar Ghosh said.

“Safety of the railway passengers is also needed to be ensured during the night time. So security arrangements have to be upgraded in the area,” Ghosh said while briefing media persons after a meeting of officials of the state government and the Eastern Railway and South Eastern Railway.

State Chief Secretary Ardhendu Sen presided over the meeting at the state secretariat.

The stretch over South Eastern Railway was vulnerable to rebel attack as at least 30 such cases have been registered in the bordering areas of Jharkhand and West Bengal in the past one year.

The latest and the biggest incident was the May 28 Gyaneshwari Express tragedy. As the Mumbai-bound train ran off the tracks because of Maoists sabotage, a speeding freight trained rammed into five derailed coaches. In all, 148 passengers were killed. Scores were injured.

Ghosh said the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and the state inspector general of police (Western Range) Zulfiqar Hussain have been asked to prepare an action plan on enhancing the security on that section.

“On the basis of the action plan we will seek more central paramilitary forces for deployment in the area for the safety and security of the passengers and railway tracks,” he said.

The officer also said that the railways have refused to run train services on that section during night time until the security arrangement were enhanced.

When contacted, a senior security officer of the South Eastern Railway on condition of anonymity, said: “It is the state government’s duty to secure the railway tracks and ensure safety of the passengers in Maoist-hit areas”.

The recent guideline of the union home ministry says it is the duty of the state government to look after the law and order situation in the rebel-affected zones. Central forces operating in the left wing extremist-hit regions have been put under the control of the state government, the officer said.