Surprise checks begin at railway stations

THE DECISION WAS TAKEN IN A MEETING WHERE CR AND WR OFFICIALS WERE ASKED TO BE ON ALERT FOR THE NEXT THREE MONTHS

MUMBAI: A day after a low intensity blast took place on board the Kanpur-bhiwani-kalindi Express, additional vigilance will be undertaken at suburban railway stations in the city.

Combing operations, including surprising checks, will be conducted at suburban railway stations. The railways has started conducting inspections from Thursday at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), Dadar, Lokmanya Tilak Terminus, Kurla, Thane, Kalyan, Vashi, Panvel and Belapur railway stations.

The decision was taken on Wednesday in a meeting in New Delhi where Central Railway (CR) and Western Railway (WR) officials were asked to be on alert for the next three months. “Directions have been received to conduct inspections at the suburban railway stations and trains. We have started combing operations and will also conduct surprise inspections,” said a senior CR official. Meanwhile, on Wednesday night, a train signal near Diva railway station was found covered by an empty bottle of mineral water. Following the incident, the loco pilot of the Bikaneryashwantpur express halted the train due to invisibility of the signal, delaying the train from 11.10pm to 11.32pm. The railways suspects illegal hawkers may be responsible for the incident and has deployed officers to inspect CCTV footage of the section.