Mumbai: Over 250 jawans conduct security drill at CSMT

Mumbai: The Government Railway Police (GRP) on Wednesday conducted a mock drill along with the local police and Force One to assess its security preparedness at the busy Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT). More than 250 jawans of the GRP and city police, nearly half a dozen senior cops along with Force One officials participated in the drill.

Though the GRP said that the exercise was conducted as January 26 is fast-approaching, sources said that it was the part of security arrangements made for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit on January 19. He is likely to visit the CSMT to inaugurate several projects.

During the mock drill, which started at around 2.30 pm, two gates of the CSMT station were closed and passengers were handled through limited gates. Apart from that, passengers waiting in the main line section were also evacuated. The exercise, which involved scanning every nook and corner of the iconic station, continued till 5.30 pm.

“The drill was aimed at checking the security preparedness at the CSMT during VIP movements as well as to gauge how quickly the security agencies can respond during an emergency,” said the GRP official. The results were “excellent” as the GRP evacuated the main hall within five minutes and the Force One team also reached the site in less than one hour and forty-five minutes from Goregaon, the official added.

However, some of the passengers said they were inconvenienced with the drill. Gopinath Gangurde, 48, along with his wife was waiting to catch a Pune-bound train but was asked to leave the main hall during the exercise. “Government needs to frame a policy for avoiding the VIP movement at public places. It creates a lot of inconvenience for the passengers,” he said.