MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS (SHRI MANOJ SINHA)
(a) to (e): A Statement is laid on the Table of the House. STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (e) OF UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5404 BY SHRI BAIJAYANT JAY PANDA AND SH RIM ATI RITA TARAI TO BE ANSWERED IN LOK SABHA ON 27.04.2015 REGARDING RAILWAY PROTECTION FORCE IN ODISHA
(a): Operation of Railway is done through zonal railways and jurisdictions of zonal railways are stretched over one or more than one states, hence the details of deployment of Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel are maintained zone wise. A major portion of railway network of Odisha State falls under East Coast Railway (ECoR). Zone wise details of existing strength of RPF as on 28.02.2015 are as under-
S.No. Zone/Railway/Unit Existing Strength 1 Central Railway 3738 2 East Coast Railway 1744 3 East Central Railway 2741 4 Eastern Railway 6541 5 Integral Coach Factory 275 6 North Central Railway 2442 7 North Eastern Railway 2815 8 Northeast Frontier Railway 3048 9 Northern Railway 6450 10 North Western Railway 1656 11 Railway Board 12 12 Railway Protection Special Force 8028 13 South Central Railway 2402 14 South East Central Railway 1230 15 South Eastern Railway 2964 16 Southern Railway 3362 17 South Western Railway 1237 18 West Central Railway 1299 19 Western Railway 3693
(b) : The following measures have been initiated to strengthen Railway Protection Force to ensure security over railways
i during the last three years:-
i) Security Control rooms and RPF posts are being networked under ‘RPF Security Management System (RSMS) to ensure speedy dissemination of information and feedback.
ii) CUG facility has been extended to RPF escort parties with sanction of 4000 CUG SIMs to zonal railways.
iii) A 24x7 security helpline number 182 has become operational through Security Control Rooms of RPF.
iv) Setting up of three new RPSF Battalions, including one Mahila Battalion, has been approved to further strengthen railway security in vulnerable sections of the Indian railways.
(c) : No, Madam. Prevention and detection of crime, registration of cases, its investigation and maintenance of law and order in railway premises as well as on running trains are the statutory responsibility of the State Governments, which they discharge through Government Railways Police (GRP). Besides above, ensuring security of tracks, bridges and tunnels is the responsibility of concerned District Police. As such, maintenance of law and order and responsibility of safety of railway tracks in Odisha rest with concerned State Government. However, Railways, through the Railway Protection Force, supplement the efforts of States by providing manpower for t rain escorting of important and vulnerable trains, providing access control at major railway stations and by keeping surveillance over major station premises.
(d)& (e): Railway share 50% of the cost on GRPs with respective States which include sharing of cost on GRP Odisha.
