Rly, allied agencies gear up to meet festive rush

Hyderabad: With festive season travel expected to surge during the coming Dussehra, Diwali and Chhath festivals, Railways and allied agencies have drawn up a joint action plan to manage heavy passenger rush at Secunderabad, Hyderabad (Nampally), Charlapalli, Lingampalli and Kacheguda stations.

A coordination meeting was held on Wednesday at Sanchalan Bhavan, attended by Dr. Gopalkrishnan R., DRM (Secunderabad Division) and Santhosh Kumar Verma, DRM (Hyderabad Division). The meeting coordinated by Alakunta Naveen Kumar, Divisional Security Commissioner (RPF), was attended by senior officials from Railways, Railway Protection Force (RPF), Government Railway Police (GRP), local police, traffic police and RTC.

The review meeting focused on crowd management and safety, addressing issues such as snatching, pickpocketing, unauthorized entry and congestion at foot overbridges, waiting halls and circulating areas. Officials also stressed for having preventive measures against stampede-like situations.

The key measures finalised included: RPF and GRP will have enhanced patrolling, frisking and anti-sabotage checks; Local police will assist in crowd dispersal and to maintain law-and-order; Traffic police will ensure strict no-parking enforcement, regulated vehicle movement, and dedicated lanes for autos, cabs, and buses, especially at choke points like Secunderabad Platform-10, Charlapalli Platform-1 entry road and Kacheguda temple approach. As for the RTC, it will provide additional bus services during peak and late hours, with staff deployed at bus bays and re-routing of buses to less congested sides. All agencies pledged to have close coordination to ensure safe and hassle-free travel for passengers during the festive rush.