East Central Railway’s Danapur division has intensified security and crowd-management measures at 12 major stations, including Patna Junction, ahead of the heavy passenger rush expected during Chhath, with drones, CCTV surveillance, holding areas and additional personnel being deployed.
The arrangements are being coordinated through a special war room established at the Danapur divisional control room. Railway officials will monitor CCTV feeds from different stations around the clock, focusing on entrances, platforms, circulating areas and designated holding facilities.
Abhinav Siddarth, senior divisional commercial manager of the Danapur division, said the control room would enable officials to track passenger movement and coordinate with field personnel. The stated aim is to prevent overcrowding at vulnerable locations and keep passenger movement orderly during the festival travel period.
The railway administration has also deployed additional Railway Protection Force personnel and ticket checking staff at holding areas. These facilities are intended to keep passengers from crowding platforms and other sensitive station zones before their trains arrive.
Additional railway staff will guide passengers, regulate entry into station premises and provide assistance at the holding facilities. UTS ticket counters and ‘May I Help You’ booths have also been arranged inside the areas, allowing passengers to purchase unreserved tickets, check train timings and platforms, and resolve travel-related queries without repeatedly moving through crowded parts of the stations.
The measures cover 12 major stations under the Danapur division, with Patna Junction among the locations receiving enhanced surveillance and crowd-control arrangements. Drones and CCTV cameras are being used to monitor passenger movement across station approaches and operational areas, while staff have been positioned to manage entry and provide information.
The additional arrangements come as large numbers of passengers travel to different destinations for Chhath. To accommodate the seasonal increase in demand, the Danapur division has put 182 special trains into operation, according to the railway administration.
The deployment places the focus on managing passengers before they reach platforms, where crowd density can rise sharply around train arrivals. Railway officials said the holding areas, staffed assistance points and monitoring system would support coordination between the divisional control room and personnel at stations. The arrangements will remain part of the division’s festival-period operations as the passenger rush continues.
