Mumbai: CCTV cameras will be installed on all Mumbai-Delhi Rajdhanis by December, said Western Railway (WR) general manager A K Gupta. The decision comes after a dozen passengers were robbed in August Kranti by certain unidentified accused who decamped, leaving behind no trace. The lack of CCTV cameras inside the train has so far made it harder for the railways to identify the culprits. There are five rakes of Rajdhani that ply between Mumbai and Delhi, the first Rajdhani with CCTVs will be seen by the end of October.

On August 16, the 12 passengers were suspected to be drugged and were robbed of their belongings like jewellery and high end phones and gadgets estimated to be worth `10 lakh minimum.

The Rajdhani 17 coaches that are split between first and second AC until now did not have any monitoring system inside the train. These cameras will in fact be akin to the ones currently seen in the Tejas Express that will ensure that the image captured is stable and not grainy.

WR, general manager A K Gupta said, “The first Rajdhani rake with the CCTV will be seen by Diwali.” He further added, “It is but a matter of time that all the Rajdhani trains will be fitted with the camera.”

The WR is also looking into the rampant complaints and reports by passengers about illegal sale of berths/seats onboard the premier train by the Ticket Collectors as well as the Railway Police Force (RPF). Mr Gupta said, “We are looking into all these reports by our own staff and the passengers themselves, but we are also hopeful that the CCTV cameras will help us in investigation of a crime or a complaint.”

The officials are currently considering placing these CCTV cameras in the lobby of the Rajdhani, as every person accesses the passage.

The Rajdhani is one of the most premier trains in Indian Railways and has had historical importance since it was launched back in the year 1992, as it connected Mumbai and Delhi.

There are a total of five rakes of the Rajdhani, each with the 17 coaches, that ply from Mumbai to Delhi and are maintained by the WR and the Northern Railway (Delhi).

Onboard security

The semi-luxury, amenities-rich Mumbai-Pune Tejas express is a rarity among other Indian trains, in having CCTV cameras aboard it.

The railways have been trying to fix CCTV cameras in long distance trains but have always been unsuccessful due to a myriad reasons ranging from funds to lack of technical expertise.

In fact, the CCTV experiment has been underway on the Mumbai suburban system for more than a decade and has achieved success only recently.

The Tejas Express like most of railway flagship trains like Hamsafar, Antyodhya is the new breed of luxurious trains that have been launched in mid to late 2017.