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Two years after the blasts, CCTV cameras and the Door Frame Metal Detectors are in place at almost all stations. But the people to man CCTV monitors at smaller stations are still to be found.

A manpower crunch in the RPF has supposedly forced the railways to ask chief booking supervisors (CBS) or stationmasters to man them. CBSes look after ticketing booths.

The railway administration believes stationmasters and CBSes are competent to face any emergency situation. "As a matter of strategy, we have decided that the monitors will be manned by them. It is not due to any manpower crunch. Besides, stationmasters have an overall responsibility of their station and the GRP personnel are there to help them, if there is a problem," said Srinivas Mudgerikar, the chief PRO of Central Railway.

However, his WR counterpart S S Gupta denied it. "All the monitors are manned by RPF personnel. There is no question of other officials manning it," he said. However,
MiD DAY reporters went to several small stations and found that there are no RPF personnel present to observe the CCTV screens.

An angry railway official pointed out, "Stationmasters and CBSes are already burdened with other tasks, how can they keep an eye on the screens also."