Secunderabad: Begumpet railway station to have IP-based safety system

Secunderabad: Begumpet railway station here has been provided with the IP-based Video Surveillance System (VSS) by RailTel, a Miniratna PSU under Ministry of Railways.

Begumpet railway station is one of the railway stations in the country being run by women-only crew. The VSS has been installed to strengthen the security measures at Begumpet railway station. The work has been done utilising the Nirbhaya fund for ensuring better safety for women.

A total of 20 IP-based close circuit television cameras ("CCTV cameras") have been installed on the Begumpet railway station premises keeping tab on all the activities at station premises 24X7.

The CCTV cameras are connected through internet and live feeds are displayed on multiple screen at the Railway Protection Force (RPF) control room for monitoring.

All CCTV cameras provided in Begumpet railway station premises will be networked on optical fiber cable and the video feed of the CCTV cameras are brought to a centralized CCTV control room from where the video feeds will be viewed on multiple LCD monitors by RPF personnel, enhancing the security and safety of the passengers tremendously.

Railway Board has entrusted RailTel with the work of providing IP based VSS with video analytics and facial recognition system at all the railway stations, premium and EMU coaches. RailTel will provide Video Surveillance System to stations of A1, A, B, C,D and E category, coaches of premium trains and suburb an EMU coaches.

Talking about the new system, Anand Bhatia, Divisional Railway Manager, Secunderabad division of SCR said, 'Security of our passengers, especially women and children, are our top priority. The new CCTV surveillance will help us provide more proactive security. The Video analytics of this VSS will be used for left object detention, over crowding and camera tampering making it easier for RPF to ensure strict security.

About the feature of the new Video Surveillance System, Puneet Chawla, Chairman & Managing Director, RailTel said, 'This is an Internet Protocol based Video Surveillance system in which CCTV cameras are networked. This will enhance the safety and security of women passengers as well as the women crew of the Begumpet station who are on duty 24X7.'

The recording of the video feeds form CCTV cameras will be stored for 30 days for playback, post event analysis and for investigation purposes. Important videos can be stored for longer duration. This Video Surveillance System is expected to ensure better security of passengers at railway stations and railway property.