Less than 10% railway stations have CCTV cameras: Railways in Parliament
New Delhi: The railways has installed closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras at 686 stations across the country, Union minister Piyush Goyal informed Parliament on Wednesday, indicating that it has such coverage in less than 10 per cent of the 7,349 railway stations in India.
Replying to a query in the Lok Sabha, Goyal said that online monitoring through CCTV cameras is done at passenger reservation centre as well as other areas of major railway stations.
"Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras have been provided at 686 stations.
"If any unlawful/suspicious activity is observed, immediate action is taken. Presently, prevention of entry of persons is not done by using CCTV monitoring. However, surveillance on persons indulging in suspicious/objectionable activities is maintained and intervention is made as and when the need arises," he said.
Of the 686 stations, 156 are in Maharashtra, followed by Uttar Pradesh with 69 stations, West Bengal with 67 stations and Bihar 47 stations.
While Rajasthan has CCTV cameras at 31 stations, Tamil Nadu has the facility at 35 stations. The states in the northeast, except Tripura and Nagaland which have one station each with cameras, and Puducherry have no stations with CCTV cameras, he said.
While Karnataka has CCTV cameras at 30 stations, 21 stations in Kerala have that facility and 29 stations in Madhya Pradesh have such cameras. Jammu and Kashmir has such cameras at 19 stations, Odisha 16, Haryana 13 and Jharkhand 11. Delhi has such cameras at 13 stations, Chhattisgarh 13 and Gujarat at 30 stations.
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
