Sealdah Railway Station in Kolkata will deploy 290 face-recognition cameras and additional security measures during the festive season as the Sealdah Division prepares for large crowds of pandal hoppers and suburban passengers. The division will also operate around 3,000 cameras across 80 stations during the puja period, according to official sources cited by The Statesman.
Sealdah Station, which handles more than one million passengers daily, will receive the largest concentration of the surveillance equipment. Around 290 face-recognition system cameras will be operated at the station to help security personnel monitor crowded areas and keep watch for suspected offenders.
The arrangements are being made with particular attention to women’s safety during the peak puja days. Additional male and female security personnel will be deployed at Sealdah and across the division. The railway will also place security personnel on puja special overnight trains operating on key routes.
The Sealdah Division is scheduled to run 38 puja special overnight trains from 16 October to 21 October to manage increased suburban travel at night. The trains will be escorted by additional security personnel, according to the railway official quoted in the report.
Extra metal detectors will be installed at several entry points of Sealdah station. The measure is intended to strengthen screening as passenger volumes rise during the festive period. The railway has not disclosed in the supplied report how many additional personnel or metal detectors will be deployed at each location.
The parking area outside the main station building will be converted into a temporary holding area to prevent crowd build-up on platforms and around station entrances. In the event of heavy turnout, security personnel will direct passengers and visitors to the holding zone, which will have drinking water and toilet facilities.
The arrangement will also change vehicle access around the station. From 15 October to 21 October, the parking area will not be available for parking. Visitors dropping off or collecting passengers will be asked to do so outside the main station building before leaving, allowing the space to be used for crowd management.
The measures combine surveillance, passenger screening, special train operations and controlled movement around the station. Their immediate test will be whether the holding area, additional escorts and security deployment can keep passenger flows moving during the peak festive period. The restrictions and special train arrangements are scheduled to remain in place through 21 October.
