MUMBAI: The Central Railway Motormen Association will petition the divisional railway manager (DRM) on Wednesday regarding the installation of CCTV cameras in front of the drivers’ seats.
“Installation of cameras in front of the driving seats (motorman’s face) can be seen as an intrusion into the privacy of motormen while they perform their duties,” the draft petition said.
According to the petition the installation of CCTVs could lead to discomfort and anxiety among the motormen, as they may feel constantly monitored during their work.
The motormen want the authorities to recall their decision to install CCTV cameras from the cabin otherwise they may take a decision to protest aggressively after the Ganpati festival. Some motormen said on Tuesday that “if pushed to the wall, they could also resort to a strike, which could cripple the suburban train network.”
The petition will be highlighting key issues of privacy, trust and distraction regarding the installation of CCTV camera. The motor men are concerned that the installation of cameras in their cabins will infringe upon their privacy.
The motormen have expressed a feeling of mistrust associated with the installation of cameras, as it may imply a lack of confidence in their abilities to operate the
EMU trains safely. Some motormen argue that the presence of cameras might be distracting and it may affect their focus on operating the trains safely.
Another concern that is put forth by the motormen is that the recorded footage could be used against them in case of minor infractions or incidents that do not warrant such measures.
DRM Rajneesh Goyal said he would be giving his response on the issue in a few days.
According to a railway official, the cameras will be “beneficial” for passenger safety as it will continuously monitor the state of the motorman.
So far CCTVs have been installed in two cabins as a pilot project.
Using Artificial Intelligence (AI), this system alerts motormen in case of any distraction, drowsiness during the performance of his duty, said the official.