New Delhi: To secure the premises of all the upcoming metro stations, the Indian Railways has proposed that the RPF be assigned the responsibility, a senior official said.

In a written request the railway board said to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs that the Railway Protection Force (RPF) be made the in charge of security cover for the new metros coming up in Lucknow, Chennai, Nagpur, Pune, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Indore, Bhopal and Hyderabad. Presently, the RPF is assigned for the security of Kolkota metro railways.

“Having a single dedicated force for the Metro Railway is advantageous since the staff can be trained in the safety and security requirements of the metro. The RPF has specialised training because it is already securing sub-urban stations for years,” said a senior official.

According to the official, the move is also said to be a cost-effective option. As of now, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) charges Rs. 1.84 lakh per annum for a single jawan to secure metro premises, while the charges made by RPF is Rs. 78,000 per jawan per annum.

Along with hat, the RPF is given the responsibility of protecting and securing of railway property, passenger area and are given authority to arrest, investigate and prosecute criminals, therefore it will be able to utilize these powers at metro stations as well.

“The RPF with only 900 staffers is managing Kolkata metro which has a footfall of about five to six lakh commuters daily. They have both the expertise and the experience to manage and secure mass transport system like Railways, so they are equipped to deal with metros,” the official said.

The total RPF sanctioned strength is 74,456 personnel.

The issue is very serious with regards to security of Metro stations coming up in various cities. As there is huge crowd at such stations, RPF is very well trained to handle such situations. There ability to work at typical railway stations in India have enabled them to keep a strict vigil on anti-social elements particularly against terrorist activities.

The situations at metro stations too are somewhat similar to the one at Indian railway stations. The training received by these personal is at par with the requirements on the field. The railway protection force was formed in the year 1984 with the aim to safeguard railways stations and passengers on board the train.

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