Mitra Yojana begins at Vizag railway station

Visakhapatnam: Keeping the present security scenario and ensuing 73rd Independence Day celebrations in view, the Railway Protection Force (RPF), Waltair Division conducted 'Mitra Yojana' programme at Visakhapatnam railway station on Monday. As part of the community policing, the RPF personnel sensitised the stakeholders, including porters, auto-rickshaw drivers, taxi drivers and vendors, on the importance of using toll-free RPF helpline 182 for any emergency.

Senior Divisional Security Commissioner, Visakhapatnam, Jitendra Srivastava explained various security threats in detail and appealed to participants to alert the RPF personnel in case if they come across any suspicious elements in railway station and its premises. Further, he called for their cooperation to make railway station a crime-free zone. The RPF personnel, including Assistant Security Commissioner K P James, also interacted with the stakeholders of railways and discussed various ways and methods that could make the railway station better and safer place for the passengers.

Operation Number Plate

As part of the 'Operation Number Plate' drive, the RPF has recently seized 34 vehicles in Waltair Division. The identified vehicles were stranded and left unattended for days at various railway stations. They were seized followed by a detailed survey conducted by the RPF personnel. Led by Senior Divisional Security Commissioner Jitendra Srivastava, special checks were held in Waltair Division at various railway stations, including Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram, Srikakulam, Rayagada, Jagadalpur and Koraput.

The seized vehicles were handed over to concerned police stations to ascertain their ownership. The pan India drive was meant to clear the decks and tighten the security cover for the Independence Day celebrations. The exercise involves spotting the vehicles parked in railway premises, circulating area, parking lot for days which poses a serious threat to safety and security of the passengers and stakeholders of the railways.