A sniffer dog. A Telegraph picture

In the wake of blasts in Mumbai and Srinagar on Tuesday, the Government Railway Police (GRP), Howrah, has decided to form a dog squad for security check at the station.

Till now, the GRP had to depend on the Railway Protection Force (RPF) for its dog squad.

?After Tuesday?s blasts we need to look into the matter seriously. The RPF has just one dog in its squad. It is difficult to manage with a single dog, especially during a crisis. Lack of dogs delays the security check process,? said superintendent of GRP, Howrah, K. Jayraman.

The dog squad project is expected to kickstart by the month-end, after a three-year delay.

A kennel, an office and a kitchen will come up in a 10 ft x 70 ft area at Howrah station. Space will also be allotted for the training of the dogs.

An Alsatian and a Labrador puppy will be bought for around Rs 8,000 each and trained at the Barrackpore training school for a year. Two constables will also receive training at Barrackpore for six months. After the training, the dogs will be taken to railway stations for practical exercises. A kennel boy will be appointed to look after them.

?We will buy the puppies as soon as possible and send them to Barrackpore for training, while the kennel is constructed at the station. This will save time. By next year, we will have our own dog squad. This will help boost security and lessen the burden on our officials,? added Jayraman.

According to him, GRPs at stations like Sealdah, Malda, Kharagpur and Siliguri also do not have a dog squad.

?The main problem is getting a suitable plot for the dog squad. It is a common problem at all stations. We had to wait for more than three years to get this plot. With increasing number of terrorist attacks, every station should have a dog squad,? remarked Jayraman.