Though Western Railway had decided to instal X-ray baggage scanner machines at its parcel depots long ago, the decision remained on paper for long. Now, under the integrated security plan, baggage scanners have been sanctioned for all parcel depots in the Mumbai division of the railway.

There are four stations in the city from where parcels can be booked — Mumbai Central, Bandra Terminus, Dadar and Borivali. Parcel booking is mainly done at Mumbai Central, followed by Bandra Terminus. The process is well-monitored at Mumbai Central, whereas it’s not done well at other stations.

“Bandra Terminus is open from all sides. Metal detectors are installed at the main gate, but platforms are accessible from all sides. Also, there is no parcel house except for some cages on platforms,” a parcel department staffer said. “There could be anything inside the parcels. Whatever is mentioned in the parcel way bills, money is taken on basis of weight. ”

The parcels scattered on platforms not only pose hardships to passengers but also could end up a security threat. X-ray machines have not been installed at the parcel depots of Central Railway as well.

“For extra care, X-ray machines should be provided at every parcel depot,” an RPF official said.

Shyam Sunder Gupta, chief public relations officer, WR said, “X-ray baggage scanner machines have been sanctioned at all these stations. They will be installed very soon.”