Luggage scanning lax at Ludhiana railway station

The high volume of passengers entering the station is observed to pass through the entry gate with little to no compulsory scanning of their baggage

Following the alarm triggered by a blast near Delhi’s Red Fort on Monday evening, security measures at the Ludhiana Railway Station—the largest in the state—appear concerningly lax. Despite an average daily footfall of around 50,000, particularly during late night and early morning hours, the only luggage scanner at the main entry is often poorly manned, resulting in passengers carrying heavy luggage bypassing security checks.

Passengers entering the Ludhiana station often pass without getting their luggage scanned at the entry gate. (Gurpreet Singh/HT)

The high volume of passengers entering the station is observed to pass through the entry gate with little to no compulsory scanning of their baggage.

In Charge of the Railway Protection Force (RPF), Inspector SB Yadav, defended the staffing, stating, “At least two RPF personnel are on duty at the gate around the clock. It is only when one of them has to go to the loo that there is only one person on the machine. But we ensure that there are always two RPF personnel there to ensure that the luggage coming into the station is scanned.”

The luggage scanner itself has only recently become functional after reportedly remaining shut for approximately two years due to maintenance contract issues.

It is pertinent to note that just a few weeks ago, during the Diwali and Chhath Puja festivals, RPF had successfully used barricades at the entry point to separate incoming and outgoing passengers, thereby ensuring luggage checks for those entering the premises. However, Inspector Yadav explained that the construction work at the station was paused then, allowing the use of barricades, but since construction has resumed, the barricades are “no longer available.”

Further addressing the broader security issues, In Charge of Government Railway Police (GRP), Ludhiana, Inspector Palwinder Singh, confirmed that the security situation is unsatisfactory. He stated, “I have written to the Railways to close the irregular entries and exits across the station premises to better the security situation.”