Rail Budget 2015: CCTVs on some trains, app for women’s safety

New Delhi: Railway minister Suresh Prabhu on Thursday announced a slew of measures for women’s safety with surveillance cameras being provided in select coaches.

Announcing utilisation of resources from the Nirbhaya Fund by the Indian railways, Mr Prabhu also announced a dedicated toll-free number, 182, for receiving any security-related complaints.

“Indian railways would utilise resources from the Nirbhaya Fund for augmenting security of women passengers. For the safety of women passengers, surveillance cameras will be provided on a pilot basis in selected mainline coaches and ladies’ compartments of suburban coaches without compromising on privacy,” Mr Prabhu said.

An all-India helpline number, 138, would become functional to attend to the problems of passengers on a real-time basis. “A mobile application to redress railway-related complaints is also being developed. The railways intends to start this facility on a pilot project basis on the northern railway from March 1. Based on the experience gained and the feedback received from passengers, this will be extended to all railways soon thereafter,” he said.

Mr Prabhu also said that the middle berth, in three-tier class, would be reserved for women and senior citizens. The railway minister announced that the number of lower berth seats reserved for senior citizens and pregnant women in every coach so that they have a higher chance of getting it while buying the ticket.

The railway minister also said that ticket examiners would be instructed to help senior citizens and pregnant women, who weren’t allotted lower berths during the reservation process.

He also said that they planned to allow senior citizens to reserve wheelchairs at stations before they arrived there so that they could be assisted in getting to trains.

He said that the railways would work on increasing the number of elevators and escalators across stations.