RPF Chief reviews security arrangements at New Delhi Railway Station ahead of Diwali and Chhath celebrations

New Delhi [India], October 31 : Railway Police Force Director General Manoj Yadava reviewed the security and arrangements at New Delhi railway station ahead of the Diwali and Chhath festivities on Thursday. In an interview with ANI, he highlighted that, following the incident at Bnadra railway station in Maharashtra, various precautionary measures have been taken to ensure passenger safety.
Yadava explained, "The incident involved a weekly train when the season hadn't started yet. An unexpected crowd had gathered on the platform, and when the train arrived, everyone was anxious about missing it. This led to a crowded situation, but our 32 RPF and GRP personnel quickly controlled it."
Yadava then underlined the importance of security measures. The GRP DG said, "Recently, you might have heard of a suspicious incident in Delhi. In response to that, we have increased security measures." He mentioned the installation of baggage scanning machines, handheld metal detectors, and random checks by the dog squad for explosives.
He added, "We have also utilized social media to inform people about their safety and the railway's security, urging them not to carry firecrackers and other such items to ensure safety."
"As every year, on the auspicious occasions of Diwali and Chhath, our working class, who keep Delhi running, want to go home to celebrate the festival. It is the complete responsibility of our railway system to ensure that these people can travel in an organized manner, without chaos and rush", he told ANI.
Yadava also explained that planning for the festival crowd began two months ago. He mentioned, "You can see that we have deployed managers here to ensure there are serpentine queues. We have also arranged for communication. Everyone has been reassured that if these trains fill up, a special train is ready."
This year, Indian Railways is operating over 7,250 additional trains from major cities such as Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Surat, Bombay, Secunderabad, Chennai, and Coimbatore. Typically, 47 trains operate from the station on a regular day, but with 25 extra trains, a total of 62 trains are now running to accommodate the expected rush.
Yadava then noted, "Since Diwali is approaching and with Chhath Puja also coming up in the coming days, we face a significant challenge. We expect that the crowd we see today will double or even triple on November 2, November 3, and November 4."
Addressing the potential challenges, the GRP DG said, "In terms of our dress rehearsal, the real challenge will come on the 23rd as we will have to run a large number of special trains. The entire railway system, whether it be operations, commercial aspects, medical staff, or RPF, is committed to working together as a team to ensure that every passenger travels safely and without any hassle."
With the extra trains running, he assured, "The Indian Railways will take everyone home who wishes to travel."
A traveller from Bihar said, "I am going to Bihar, Chapra. I have never seen such arrangements in my life. The arrangements are incredible, sir; it's hard to put into words. I appreciated that we got seats to sit comfortably and had a clear path to board. There was no chaos or any problems at all. We travelled peacefully, sitting in our seats. Previously, we thought we might have to fight or deal with arguments, but nothing like that happened this time. Compared to before, we had to arrive at the platform two hours early to find a chance to board."
Speaking to ANI, Rahul Kumar Yadav, another traveller from Siwan, said, "The arrangements were very good, and we are very thankful to the police personnel for this. If this happens every time, it will be great. I had some concerns that things might go wrong, but everything was very good this time. It was better than every year."
A Muzaffarpur traveller said, "I didn't expect to be able to board the train, but given the arrangements, I felt I would be able to board, and I did. It felt good. Compared to before, it was very good to see that everyone got seats to sit comfortably. When we were lining up, we remembered previous times when we used to get injured or lose things like mobile phones. This time, nothing like that happened. I want to thank the railway for such great arrangements."