An elaborate security plan has been laid out for the Hyderabad Metro Rail, including CCTVs, cyber-security measures and police support.
The Union Home Ministry on Saturday finalised an elaborate security plan for the Hyderabad Metro Rail.
The layout and positioning of these arrangements is reportedly based on international experience, and from the security lessons learnt from the Delhi Metro.
In a review meeting attended by HMR MD N V S Reddy, Jt. Commissioner of Hyderabad Police (Security) Kumar Viswajit, and senior officials of the Ministry Of Home Affairs, the Intelligence Bureau and CISF, the security arrangements for Metro Rail stations were discussed.
These arrangements will be set up at parking & circulation areas, viaduct and track, trains, depot areas, vital installations and machinery, operations control centre (OCC) and construction sites.
All these sites will be elaborately covered with CCTV surveillance.
Passenger security will be mainly ensured through access control and installation of: CCTVs at stations, sensors and alarms for the monitoring of unmanned areas, checking and frisking of passengers at concourse gates, scanning of baggage, installation of intrusion detection systems (IDS), on-board surveillance through video recording in trains, and anti-sabotage checking, among other measures.
Bigger X-ray machines will be installed at important stations. Locked gates at platform-ends and installation of IDS will secure the viaduct and track areas, by making them inaccessible to passengers and outsiders.
Metro Rail depots, OCC and other important installations will be protected through perimeter walls, watch towers, special access gates, and day and night patrolling.
Trains will be subject to thorough anti-sabotage checking in the depots and stabling yards before the start of daily operations.
Also, a security room at each station, and special facilities for centralized monitoring at the central security control room, are being planned.
Kumar Viswajit's suggestion for linking Metro Rail CCTV cameras with the police main control room has also been accepted.
To prevent fire mishaps, elaborate fire-fighting arrangements and dedicated water supply for fire-fighting at each station will be provided.
Along with antecedent verification by the police, biometric passes will be issued to all regular employees, contract labour and casual labour.
Private security agencies deployed for this purpose will work under the supervision of regular police.
According to HMR MD N V S Reddy, the Metro station layouts envisage the proper positioning of AFC (Automatic Fare Collection) gates, baggage screening facilities, adequate space before ticket counters and gates, to avoid crowding.
Similarly, cyber-security measures would be given special emphasis, with the provision of IT and communication network security, security of SCADA systems, installation of dedicated data transmission networks, strict access control / password protection and firewalls, and regular threat assessment and audit by both internal and external IT security professionals, he added. (INN)