The Railways on Wednesday assured the court that it had formed a committee to study the viability of installing closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras in ladies compartments of suburban local trains as a safety measure for women passengers.
On December 16 last year, the high court had asked the Railways to consider installing CCTV cameras in local trains. A lawyer on Wednesday told the court that it had been almost three months since the order was passed but till now no report had been filed to show if it was viable or not. On this the Railways’ lawyer told the judges that it was not feasible; but the judges said that the report should say this after which the lawyer assured the court that a committee would be soon formed to see if it was feasible.
A division bench of Justice N.H. Patil and Justice G.S. Kulkarni heard a number of issues concerning safety, security and smooth travel of railway passengers. All these issues were raised while the court was hearing a suo motu public interest litigation that was converted out of a letter written by A.B. Thakker, a passenger, seeking reservation of a separate compartment for senior citizens in local trains.
Initially, the PIL was only confined to the issue of finding more space for senior citizens in local trains but later it came to include other issues like safe travel, garbage alongside railway tracks, installation of CCTV cameras on railway stations as well as in ladies compartments of running local trains, accidents and overcrowding.
During the hearing, the bench asked advocate Suresh Kumar, who was representing the Railways, to find out from the technical team if it was possible to shift poles that are situated between tracks to supply power to trains far from the tracks to ensure that people do not fall off after hitting them.
On the issue of steps to stop cases of crossing railway tracks, the court was informed that 15-metre-long iron fencing would be put up between tracks at railway stations so that it would be difficult for people to cross tracks. The bench, however, suggested that it use barbed wire on the fencing.
Meanwhile the court also directed the Railways to immediately remove garbage alongside the railway tracks. When the Railway Board’s lawyer informed the court that people living adjacent to the railway tracks throw garbage on the railways premises, the court directed the BMC to speak to these people and make them understand they are not supposed to throw garbage on the premises and if they continue to do so, to take appropriate action against them.
