From tomorrow, 10,000 BEST drivers and 13,000 conductors will take a refresher course in face reading, first-aid and identifying explosives. Its a two-hour training session, first introduced after the Ghatkopar blasts in December 2002.
The training will be first given to a batch of 40 at the Dindoshi bus depot, which also houses the BEST counselling centre.
BESTs special security officers, trained at the Nashik Police Academy, will conduct the course. Drivers and conductors will be told to keep a lookout for passengers with shifty eyes, those who keep looking over their shoulder and seem to be in a hurry to get off the bus.
Apart from face reading, they will be taught how to handle unclaimed baggage, which looks suspicious.
The conductors have been asked to check heavy baggage and restrict passengers from keeping their belongings on the floor of the bus, said a senior security trainer from the Dindoshi centre.
More watchdogs
We want drivers and conductors to spot anti-social elements and prevent untoward incidents. We may also install close-circuit television sets at bus depots and stops that get a large number of passengers, said Surendra Bagalkar, chairman, BEST committee.
BEST has also increased the number of its flying squads, which conduct surprise checks in buses from just six to 31.
Armed with metal detectors and walkie-talkies, these officers examine passengers and their baggage. If the squad finds anything suspicious, it summons the bomb detection squad.
BEST test
Dont open unclaimed tiffin boxes
1. Look out for passengers who seem restless, tense and overcautious
2. Watch out for those who keep looking over their shoulder
3. Keep an eye on those who seem to be in a hurry to get off the bus
4. If you find unclaimed baggage that looks suspicious, empty the bus, cordon it in an isolated place and summon the bomb detection squad
5. Refrain from opening objects like tiffin boxes and shoeboxes
6. Restrict passengers from keeping their bags, especially heavy ones, on the bus floor
