AI, holding zones… Did Ashwini Vaishnaw really meet need for crowd control?

The recent stampede at New Delhi railway station, resulting in at least 18 fatalities, certainly intensified scrutiny of the (clearly inadequate) crowd control measures from the Indian Railways.

In the aftermath of the tragedy, the railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has, on 17 February, Monday, announced several initiatives to enhance passenger safety and manage large crowds. But how do they measure up, compared to what Opposition leaders and other netizens have been suggesting for a while now?

Recognising the surge in passengers during events like the Maha Kumbh Mela, the ministry is introducing special monitoring protocols to manage the influx of devotees and prevent overcrowding.

The plans unveiled by the railway ministry include the installation of over 200 CCTV cameras and construction of 21 new underpasses at major stations to monitor and control crowd movement effectively.

A commitment to 24/7 surveillance has been made, focusing on preventing congestion and unauthorised occupancy of critical areas like staircases and landings.

Additional AI surveillance and holding zones for large crowds have been mentioned too.

It remains unclear whether this can help manage the fallout of confusing announcements, delays and platform changes. At best, we suppose it may help security personnel see a developing problem and get there sooner — though it is surprising this was not already in place.

Earlier, a report in the Hindu said the top railway officials were engaged in a safety meeting while the crowd situation at New Delhi railway station first began to deteriorate.

This highlights a major gap between strategic planning and execution. It also raises questions about real-time monitoring and the ability of railway authorities to adapt swiftly to emerging threats.

Some gaps that were highlighted earlier by Congress leader Pawan Khera include absence of a dedicated helpline for information on those dead, missing and injured; a proper public list; and CCTV footage for public review. These have yet to be addressed.

In the immediate aftermath of the incident, the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narain (LNJP) Hospital released helpline numbers: +91 9873617028 and 011-23501207.

However, these are standard contact numbers, not toll-free lines. The lack of a dedicated toll-free helpline has posed challenges for relatives seeking information about missing or injured loved ones.

Establishing such a service promptly is crucial in crisis situations to provide accessible support to affected families.

‘The country deserves to know the CCTV footage of the affected platforms to know the sequence of events preceding and following the stampede, so that the responsibility of railway administration before the stampede and also in clearing up the debris of the stampede can be fixed,’ Khera wrote on X.

Meanwhile, former cricketer and Trinamool MP Kirti Azad criticised the 'probe' launched, asking how those responsible and failing in their responsibility could be the ones investigating (effectively) themselves!

The Opposition parties, notably the Congress, have long criticised the railway minister for mismanagement of the Indian Railways.

In this instance, they aren't alone in arguing that the preventive steps were either insufficient or implemented too late, as evidenced by the tragic fallout.

The Congress has demanded Vaishnaw's resignation, citing his failure to ensure passenger safety during peak travel periods.

Meanwhile, industrialist Anand Mahindra has emphasised the urgent need for a structured national strategy to prevent such incidents.

He described the event as a ‘heartbreaking national tragedy’ and called for crowd control and public safety to be treated as a national mission, the Tribune reported.

Mahindra proposed the development of a comprehensive crowd management template that combines technology and process analysis. He urged collaboration between engineering and management institutions, including those at Mahindra University, to devise practical solutions. In his words, "We all need to chip in."

While the railway ministry has initiated several measures to address crowd control challenges, the recent stampede highlights significant gaps between policy and on-ground implementation.

The effectiveness of the proposed enhancements remains to be seen, and there is a pressing need for immediate, tangible improvements to ensure passenger safety during large-scale events.