The Confederation of All India Rail Users Association (CAIRUA) has appealed to the Union government and the Ministry of Railways to improve safety and surveillance measures in trains in the wake of increase in criminal activities.
The confederation functionaries, led by chairman C.E. Chakkunni, who recently held a meeting here to review the situation, said that incidents of attacking passengers and train ticket examiners (TTE) were emerging to be a big threat, along with criminal activities such as extortion and smuggling of banned goods.
A memorandum recently sent by CAIRUA to the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Railways observed that the unfilled vacancies in Railways were the major reason for lapses in security measures. The memorandum drew attention of the authorities into a recent incident in which a TTE was pushed to death from a running train in Thrissur.
The CAIRUA functionaries said the railway authorities should immediately convene Users Consultative Committee meetings to discuss the development and safety issues. The zonal, divisional, and station managers should adopt steps to hold the meetings and do the necessary follow up actions, they added.
The confederation also decided to carry out massive awareness campaigns in the State against reckless use of gold and other valuables during train journeys. The campaign would be launched with the support of the railway authorities, they added.
