Foolproof security for Rly network is difficult, expensive

It requires 10 per cent deterrence and 90 per cent intelligence, say officials

New Delhi, May 4:

Society has to be its own protector. If somebody is out to kill , sadly, theres not much that can be done, said a railway official when the Mumbai train blasts took place on July 11, 2006.

While this may sound politically incorrect after the tragic blasts in Chennai on Thursday, it is not irrational.

Providing foolproof security to the over 70,000-km of railway network that moves two crore passengers daily, across 7,000 stations, is difficult and can get extremely expensive.

The railway network is porous. While there is scope to increase the number of scanners and security personnel, how much can you cover? Someone can simply walk along a rail track and enter a station, said the official. Moreover, despite putting scanners, people bypass the limited entry-exit points. Additionally, there are cases of malfunctioning of equipment.

Protecting such a large network requires 10 per cent deterrence and 90 per cent intelligence.

For commercially-oriented organisations, spending on security is seen as unproductive expenditure.

When the Commonwealth Games took place in Delhi in 2010 and there was the Kumbh Mela in Allahabad, Northern Railway had got inputs from security agencies on a possible threat.

At that time, some 100 crore was spent in beefing up the security network, said another official.

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Foolproof security for Rly network is difficult, expensive