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A section of retired chief train controllers has suggested that relay rooms, station control panels and divisional control departments should be brought under CCTV surveillance to enhance safety, minimise laxity on the part of employees and rule out the possibility of sabotage or foul play.
They said that these are the most crucial areas that act as the heart and brain for the rail network but have never been under round-the-clock electronic surveillance. This will remain a chink in the armour of the railways whatever other safety measures it takes, they added.
Their suggestion came weeks after an interference with the interlocking system, which is an automated signalling system, was suspected to have caused a triple train accident in Odisha’s Balasore district which claimed more than 280 lives. Officials had also hinted at “sabotage” and tampering with the electronic interlocking system.
