Security beefed up at Mambalam station

CHENNAI: The possibility of terrorist attacks at the Mambalam railway station will be near zero, thanks to the efforts of the Railway Protection Force. In a bid to ensure that incidents like the terrorist attack on the MRTS in Mumbai do not take place in Chennai, the RPF have installed mechanisms that will identify arms and ammunition on the human body before an attack can be executed.The Railway Protection Force has brought the Computerised Passenger Reservation System at Mambalam under the blanket cover of  the Multi Zone Door Frame Metal Detectors - a high-end security apparatus that can specifically indicate that part of the human body where arms have been hidden.Installed at the entrance, the two Multi Zone Door Frame Metal Detectors can also enumerate the number of people waking through the apparatus. Subsequently, the data is transferred to a computer for remote monitoring.“It can locate the arms hidden in any part of the body,” S R Gandhi, Senior Divisional Security Commissioner, Chennai Division, Southern Railway told City Express. “Light-emitting diodes (LED) are fixed in eight different locations of the Multi Zone Door Frame Metal Detectors. For instance, if a person walks through the metal detector with a pistol on his hip, the LED at the middle portion will glow,” he added.Interestingly, Mambalam has earned the distinction of becoming the first Computerised Passenger Reservation System in the country to be equipped with this sophisticated security apparatus. According to sources, Mambalam was chosen owing to its location, which is sandwiched between the commercial hub of Ranganathan Street and the thickly populated West Mambalam. On an average, 2,500 people visit the facility (Computerised Reservation System) everyday, apart from about 500 persons, who come for booking Tatkal tickets.The move also gains significance at a time when soft targets  like railway stations have become vulnerable to terrorist attacks.However, officials at the reservation counters underline the need for manning the Multi Zone Door Frame Metal Detectors, since they  are unable take a cue from alerts. “Every time someone passes through the machines, they beep. But, we cannot identify the specific alerts, that can be understood only by those operating it,” a staff noted.When contacted, official sources stressed that no one with arms would take the risk of entering the premises, after noticing the metal detectors.