1,500 CISF men call Delhi metro stations their home

NEW DELHI: For over 1,500 Central Industrial Security Force personnel, Delhi Metro stations are home for the time being. By also spending their non-duty hours at the station, the men hope to reduce the risk of Covid-19 infection while commuting for work. The securitymen have been given light bedding kits and other essentials, while meals are brought from the CISF mess.
CISF officers said that around 10 personnel were deployed at each station even though train operations were currently halted by the Covid lockdown. They secure the empty premises and check the Delhi Metro staff and officials arriving for maintenance and sanitation activities. They also monitor the station premises periodically through patrolling and on CCTV for any unusual activity. Any abnormal situation is reported to the control room.
Till May 11, of the 66 CISF personnel testing positive for the novel coronavirus, 19 were posted with the metro network. An officer explained that the decision to house the security men at the stations was taken to reduce the risk of transmission when commuting every day. CISF personnel are required to travel to the metro station of posting from as afield as Noida, Ghaziabad and Gurgaon. “We hope this step will prevent operational efficiency from being affected,” the officer added.
The move is temporary. “Right now, 8-10 people are deployed and there is space for their stay at the stations. When normal operations resume, around 30 will be posted at each station and we cannot continue with this,” said the officer.
While train operations ceased after March 22, the 389-km network with 285 stations is open to keep the system in working mode. “CISF continues to guard the stations round the clock. It has been agreed that to avoid transportation and logistical issues, the security personal posted at each station can continue to stay at these stations during the lockdown period,” confirmed Anuj Dayal, executive director (corporate communications), Delhi Metro Rail Corporation. “However, their food will be brought to each station from their mess.”
Earlier too, before the shutdown of services, six-eight CISF men used to stay at metro stations during their night shift, Dayal said, adding that the present arrangement is only till the start of revenue services for the public resumes.
DMRC is making sure there is uninterrupted power supply at all metro stations and depots as illumination for CISF personnel, station control room, toilets and galleries. The urban rail company is also ensuring functional water pumps so there is no lack of water in the toilets. All communication systems like radio sets, intercom, etc, have also been kept in working mode along with CCTV cameras in the lockdown period. Power supply is available for all the metro corridors via DMRC’s 26 receiving sub-stations. Limited power supply is also kept available at night to prevent thieves from entering the stations.
Not all metro stations are manned by DMRC staff round the clock. Only the terminal stations on the various corridors, depot entry/exit stations and interchange stations are manned 24x7 by the metro staff in shifts. Elsewhere on most of the 285 stations, the round-the-clock monitoring is carried out by CISF personnel.