Install CCTV in train coaches: Madras High Court

Chennai: The Madras high court has directed the Southern Railway to conduct a survey with the assistance of experts and install CCTV cameras in railway coaches/compartments for the purpose of providing adequate safety and security to the women/girls passengers, old age passengers, children and formulate the improvised
guidelines in order to meet out the current day circumstances.

Justice S.M.Subramaniam said such efforts are to be made as expeditiously as possible in the interest of public at large, traveling in trains operated by the Southern Railway.

The judge gave the directive while dealing with a case of a police constable on duty misbehaving with a girl in an inebriated condition on a running train.

The judge said the safety of the passengers on trains during odd hours were to be protected. On account of fast development in our great nation, women were performing the duties on par with the men. Under these circumstances, necessarily the women passengers have to travel alone on buses, trains and aircraft. The state must provide adequate protection and ensure that the women passengers, who all were traveling lonely during odd hours, were to be protected by issuing certain guidelines to the police officials, who all were on duty in trains. The seating arrangements though made for women separately, all suitable arrangements were to be made and these women passengers travelling alone must be protected by the police officers as well as by the railways, the judge added.

The judge said a large number of women was traveling on trains on account of increase of job opportunities for women. However, these women were to be protected in the working place as well as while they were traveling on buses, trains and aircraft. In many countries, even in buses and trains, CCTV cameras were installed to monitor the activities of the passengers inside the vehicle. Such a policy must be implemented by the Southern Railway also. CCTV cameras can be installed in the appropriate places inside the coaches. This being one of the protections, the railways were bound to conduct a survey in this regard and accordingly, implement the policy of installing CCTV cameras in running trains. When crores and crores of rupees were being spent by the railways and largescale expenditure were met out, the railways was bound to spend some amount for the safety and security of the passengers, more specifically, women passengers on running trains during odd hours, judge added.