Western Railway's Railway Protection Force (RPF) has reached a significant milestone in enhancing passenger convenience and security with their successful initiative called "Operation Amanat." Under the leadership of Praveen Chandra Sinha, IG cum Principal Chief Security Commissioner of Western Railway, the RPF has actively worked towards reuniting passengers with their misplaced belongings.
Sumit Thakur, Chief Public Relations Officer of Western Railway, stated that the RPF has conducted regular drives and operations to facilitate the return of lost items. From the beginning of 2023 until May, the RPF has recovered luggage in 1,437 cases, with an estimated value of approximately Rs. 3.16 crore. The retrieved items include 838 bags, 53 purses, 12 laptops, 30 mobile phones, 14 gold chains, and 160 other valuable articles, totaling Rs. 3,15,99,576. The RPF ensured proper verification before returning the lost belongings to their rightful owners. In a recent incident on May 24, 2023, the RPF staff of Mumbai Division successfully reunited lost luggage worth around Rs. 1,79,500 with their owners in 12 different cases across various stations.
Thakur emphasized that Western Railway's RPF remains dedicated to providing safe and secure travel experiences to passengers. They undertake the responsibility of protecting the extensive railway assets across the country by employing preventive measures and actively detecting crimes against railway property.
In addition to their efforts in retrieving lost luggage, the RPF has focused on curbing illegal incidents of Alarm Chain Pulling (ACP) through their initiative known as "Operation Samay Palan." By taking strict action against offenders under Section 141 of the Railway Act 1989, the RPF has successfully detected 4,459 cases of illegal ACP during the fiscal year 2022-23. They have arrested 4,425 individuals involved in such acts and collected fines amounting to Rs. 22,43,465. To ensure smooth train operations and minimize ACP cases, the RPF organized 1,949 awareness programs in the affected areas/sections, aiming to sensitize passengers. As a result of their efforts, there has been a notable 48% increase in the number of miscreant arrests causing disruptions and a 60% increase in the fines collected compared to the previous year.
