Identifying the Munnabao station along with others as a high-risk zone, the police had demanded that the stations be equipped with the latest security systems and that a bomb disposal squad be kept on stand by. They had requested for a luggage screening machine at Jodhpur and a dog squad at Munnabao.

The proposal, which has been gathering dust for a year now, definitely needs urgent attention given the fact that the only luggage screening machine at Munnabao is out of order for the last eight months. Moreover, the RPF, state police and Railway police staff deployed at the station does not carry weapons and there is only one metal detector at the station and that too is shared by the customs and the police to frisk both luggage and passengers.

Last week, 198 passengers left for the neighbouring country and most of the frisking work was done manually.The only change being that the security checking were video recorded on Friday for the first time.

“We decided to install CCTVs in out last meeting and this would be done at the earliest, though it is a lengthy process. Apart from the ticket counter and the Jodhpur station from where the Thar Express starts it journey, even Munnabao will have CCTVs,” Jodhpur Divisional Railway Manager A K Khanna said.