Suresh Prabhu advocates empowering of RPF for seamless policing

NEW DELHI: Despite Debroy committee's recommendations against maintaining the Railway Protection Force (RPF), Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu today advocated for empowering it for seamless policing at rail premises.

The Bibek Debroy Committee, in its recent report, has said the Railways' core activity is to run trains and not to engage in activities such as maintaining the RPF.

The panel has recommended that General Managers and Divisional Railway Managers should be given freedom to choose between private security agencies and the RPF for providing security on the trains.

However, Prabhu, who is away in Turkey for attending the G-20 meeting, said the existing system of managing security by the Government Railway Police was causing glitches in seamless policing.

"The GRP is under various state govts, causing glitch in seamless policing, resulting in several complaints. Pursuing with states for change (sic)," he tweeted.

The RPF is meant for protecting railway properties, passenger areas and passengers though it has limited police powers which are mainly vested with the GRP for which Railways bears the half the cost.

The panel has suggested that the state governments should be persuaded to bear the entire cost of GRP.

However, the dual responsibility system involving the GRP and the RFP has created many glitches for Railways in providing seamless security to passengers.

There are several cases of passengers not been able to lodge complaints of theft or other crime incidents because of state boundary issues.

Prabhu has written letters to all chief ministers seeking their consent for amending the RPF Act, 1957 to empower the RPF and reducing the role of the GRP.