New Delhi: In a push to improve surveillance and passenger safety, the Indian Railways has approved the installation of CCTV cameras in all 74,000 passenger coaches and 15,000 locomotives. The decision, finalised during a high-level meeting on July 12, follows successful pilot implementations in the Northern Railway zones.
Each passenger coach will have four dome-type cameras, two at each entrance while every locomotive will be fitted with six cameras: one each at the front, rear, and both sides, along with one dome camera in the cab and two desk-mounted microphones. The surveillance will be restricted to common movement areas, such as entry and exit points, to prevent privacy violations while still capturing necessary security footage.
The meeting was chaired by Union Minister of Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw and Minister of State Ravneet Singh Bittu, along with senior Railway Board officials. The ministers urged officials to explore integration with artificial intelligence (AI) tools under the IndiaAI mission. Potential features under consideration include real-time threat detection, behavioural analytics, and predictive security alerts.
Officials reiterated that the surveillance system would not cover private compartments or seating areas, keeping in line with privacy guidelines. The intent is to monitor movement corridors and deter theft, harassment, and gang activities that have been reported in the past.
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