Scanning 7 5 Mn Rail Commuters Impractical Govt

MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government on Monday defended the security arrangements on Mumbai’s suburban railway network in the Legislative Assembly, saying that manually screening and monitoring the 7.5 million commuters who travel daily on local trains was “impractical”. The government also said it has sought financial assistance from the Centre to strengthen CCTV surveillance and establish emergency medical rooms at railway stations.

The incident triggered widespread concern over passenger safety on Mumbai’s suburban rail network, prompting Opposition leaders Bhaskar Jadhav and Nana Patole to demand a discussion in the Assembly. Taking note of the issue, Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar directed the government to make a statement on Monday.

“With the help of CCTV footage and facial recognition system, the accused was arrested within 15 hours. It is impractical for the police to scan all the 7.5 million commuters who travel on local trains every day. However, police personnel monitor and check suspicious individuals at stations,” Kadam told the House.

He said that 6,900 CCTV cameras have been installed across 177 railway stations and that their feeds are monitored round-the-clock through 20 Government Railway Police (GRP) stations.

Kadam said the state government has sought central financial assistance to expand the CCTV surveillance network. However, he acknowledged that the GRP continues to face a manpower shortage.

Following the incident, the government has intensified patrolling and stepped up monitoring of CCTV footage, he added. Kadam said the police have also formed 218 local groups to monitor the safety of women passengers travelling in ladies’ compartments, which receive additional security coverage between 9 pm and 6 am.

“Since January 2026, the GRP helpline 1512 has received 1.56 lakh calls. Police have helped return lost cash worth ₹4.36 crore to over 56,000 commuters and have externed 303 criminals,” he said.

The minister further said that the police have launched a “Zero Death” campaign to reduce fatalities on railway tracks. Under the initiative, special operations are being conducted at 63 identified accident-prone locations under the supervision of two deputy commissioners of police and five assistant commissioners of police.

“We have also sought central funding to establish 177 emergency medical rooms at railway stations so that accident victims can receive treatment during the golden hour,” Kadam said.

Surendra P Gangan is Senior Assistant Editor with political bureau of Hindustan Times’ Mumbai Edition. He covers state politics and Maharashtra government’s administrative stories. Reports on the developments in finances, agriculture, social sectors among others.Read More