Kochi: The Ernakulam Town railway station is turning into a haven for criminals, especially chain snatchers, as security measures including installation of 20 surveillance cameras remain on paper.
According to sources in the Railway Protection Force, at least three incidents of chain snatching were reported so far this year.
They snatch chain or baggage as trains slow down and manage to escape either by scaling the "short" compound wall or through the section where there is no wall at all.
"The station lies in a curved shape, and hence cops can't monitor the entire premise from either end," a source said.
"Also, there is a thick bush growing by the side of the main platform at the centre. The anti-social elements scale the small wall and hide in the bushes by the time the cops arrive."
Though the railway authorities put iron gates at three illegal entrances, the absence of wall at a small stretch besides the signal cabin (towards Thrissur side) and that below the North RoB provide easy escape routes for criminals.
The railways had proposed to set up 20 closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras covering every nook and corner in November. However, the same is yet to become a reality.
"The project is proposed to be funded under the Centre's 'Nirbhaya scheme' however, only construction of the control room started so far," a railway official said.
The decision to bring the station under CCTV surveillance on a war-footing was taken in the wake of rising incidents of crimes on the station premises.
The 'A' category station clocks annual ticketing revenue of nearly Rs 50 crore and footfall of around 50, 000 per day.
Meanwhile, commuters complained that there is no lighting on its only foot overbridge and it is proving difficult to reach the other platforms at night.
"The station is now a busy one post changing the halt of Kerala Express and the coming up of a metro station near-by," said Anil Kumar, a native of Piravom who works at Kaloor.
