Pune railway station has strengthened passenger security ahead of the Diwali rush with 170 operational CCTV cameras, 17 door-frame metal detectors, two baggage scanners and drone surveillance in the railway yard and other open areas. The measures have been introduced as daily passenger numbers are expected to reach about three lakh during the festival period.
The Railway Protection Force (RPF) has also increased its personnel deployment at the station. Patrols will continue across all platforms around the clock, while a separate team has been monitoring passenger movement from the railway division’s control room since October 15.
The CCTV network is being used not only for security monitoring but also for crowd management. Officials have created separate WhatsApp groups to alert relevant teams when cameras show unusually high crowding at any location inside the station. The system is intended to help authorities respond more quickly to congestion during the peak travel period.
The additional security arrangements include 17 door-frame metal detectors and two large baggage scanners at station entry points. These installations are aimed at screening passengers and luggage as they enter the station, although the report does not specify the number of entry gates covered or the screening capacity of the equipment.
Drone surveillance is being focused mainly on the railway yard and open spaces. The station’s overhead wires and platform roofs make drone operations inside the main station area difficult and potentially unsafe, according to the report. The drones are therefore being used to monitor locations vulnerable to railway property theft, unauthorised track crossing and stone-throwing at trains.
The Pune railway division has three drones in total, with one each assigned to Pune, Ahmednagar and Miraj. Some of the drones used for night operations are equipped with night-vision cameras. RPF officials said drones are flown three to four days a week, during night hours and across different shifts, in sensitive areas.
“Pune station security has been significantly increased. Crowd planning is carried out around the clock through 170 CCTV cameras. However, for security in the yard and to prevent stone-throwing and thefts, we are making effective use of night-vision drones,” Priyanka Sharma, senior divisional security commissioner of the RPF in Pune, said, according to the report.
The arrangements reflect the operational challenge facing major railway stations during festival travel: passenger safety depends on combining fixed surveillance, physical screening, field patrols and rapid communication between control rooms and frontline teams. The immediate focus at Pune station will remain crowd monitoring, platform patrols and surveillance of vulnerable yard locations during the Diwali travel period.
