Key border railway stations, including Katpadi, Gudiyatham, Ambur, Jolarpet, Vaniyambadi are put on high alert with round-the-clock surveillance by armed police personnel to prevent any untoward incidents in the wake of violent agitations against the Agnipath scheme from Saturday.
Officials said these stations offer key connectivity for long distance and goods trains between Chennai and other major cities and port towns. On an average, 150 trains pass through these stations, especially Arakkonam, Katpadi, Ambur and Jolarpet every day.
Goods trains that transport coal, oil, essential items to Chennai port depend on these stations for smooth transportation. “More police personnel have been deployed even in smaller railway stations like Vaniyambadi and Ambur to ensure safety of railway properties. However, commuters were allowed to travel without any hindrance,” said A. Bhoopathy, Station Manager (SM), Jolarpet railway station.
A few days ago, hundreds of youngsters gathered in front of the Vellore Collectorate and staged a protest against the Indian Army’s latest plan to recruit soldiers under the scheme on contract.
As part of increased surveillance, police said that on an average, 25-30 police personnel were deployed in each of the major railway stations in Vellore, Tiruvannamalai, Ranipet and Tirupattur districts. The personnel would work in three shifts, providing round-the-clock security to these stations. Local police are also roped in for emergencies, especially in smaller railway stations. The deployment of police personnel in the railway stations will continue until normalcy returns, officials said.
At present, many of these key railway stations like Jolarpet, Ambur, Walajah, Ranipet and Tirupattur have only a few CCTV cameras. Apart from Arakkonam, Katpadi is the only major station on the route that has 22 surveillance cameras. Katpadi railway station gets at least 30,000 commuters, mostly long distance travellers, every day. As a result, dependence on manual surveillance, especially by constables, has become a necessity, officials said.
