Biometric system will soon be in place for general passengers

Visakhapatnam: In one go, the East Coast Railway is all set to achieve the twin objectives of controlling the crowd in general compartments as well as curtailing crime rate.

The introduction of biometric token machines (BMTs), which is the first-of-its-kind in ECoR, aims at effective tackling of these two major tasks.

The passenger-friendly move conceived by the railway authorities aids in preventing stampede at the platforms while boarding unreserved coaches as passengers will have to get their fingerprints scanned to get a token generated. It guarantees allotment of seats on the first-cum-first-serve basis based on the availability of seats. Instead of spending hours in long queues to board the general compartments, passengers can arrive at the platform just minutes before the rake gets placed.

The Railway Protection Force staff will verify the serial number of the token submitted by the passengers before allowing them to board the coach. "Unlike earlier, the BMT would certainly ensure some order in place as the rush during peak hours can be streamlined effectively. Moreover, the corrupt practice of cornering of seats by anti-social elements will come to an end," reasons Jitendra Srivastava, Senior Divisional Security Commissioner, RPF, Visakhapatnam.

Currently, two BMTs will be deployed at Visakhapatnam railway station, each to be procured at a cost of Rs.1.65 lakh approximately.

Elaborating on the merits of the new facility, Jitendra Srivastava adds, "This system has multiple advantages. One, hassle-free boarding is guaranteed for passengers in general coaches sans any jostling. Two, it will help crack down the criminals and monitor their movement by the respective investigating authority as the system comes with updated technology such as fingerprint scanning, image capturing, emergency buzzer system and data summary storage for 60 days, among other features."

According to the railway officials, ECoR will get two biometric systems in the next couple of weeks.