Baggage scanner machine at railway station lies defunct

Avneet Kaur

Jalandhar, February 24

A baggage scanner machine installed at the city railway station has been lying defunct, putting the safety of passengers at risk. Despite sporadic operation during its initial six months and occasional use thereafter, the machine, which was installed in 2019, has failed to fulfil its purpose.

Sources within the city railway station disclosed that the machine went out of service in 2020. Since then, several attempts were made to repair it, but all proved futile.

Railway officials said the machine was repaired last year and operated for sometime in August. However, its motor got damaged due to a short-circuit, rendering it useless again.

The scanner machine couldn’t bear the load throughout the day and stops working often. The Railway Protection Force (RPF) informed the department concerned about the glitch in the machine several times. However, nothing has been done so far.

Passengers raised concerns over the absence of effective checking at the entry and exit points. They said it would increase the chances of transportation of illegal substances by anti-social elements. Harjot Bal, a passenger, emphasised the necessity of a functioning scanner machine to prevent any untoward incident.

Referring to a recent incident at the city railway station where a body was found stuffed inside a suitcase, Meenakshi Verma, a passenger, said if the luggage of passengers goes through the scanner, anti-social elements could not engage in any criminal activities.

She said the dormant state of the baggage scanner machine was a major security lapse at the railway station. The Railway authorities should act swiftly to ensure passengers’ safety.

RPF Sub-Inspector Harvinder Singh said the machine had been out of order for a long time now. They had informed the department concerned about it. If the machine was made functional, it would increase the security at the railway station.

Major security lapse, says passenger

Referring to a recent incident at the city railway station where a body was found stuffed inside a suitcase, Meenakshi Verma, a passenger, said if the luggage of passengers goes through the scanner, anti-social elements could not engage in any criminal activities. She said the dormant state of the baggage scanner machine was a major security lapse at the railway station.