Patna, May 3: Passengers at the Mithapur bus stand can breathe easy now. The police are set to upgrade the security measures at the stand.

“There have been incidents of fighting, passengers being threatened, firing and even murder at the bus stand. In a bid to improve law and order, the police in co-ordination with the bus owners, will implement a number of steps soon,” said Patna senior superintendent of police (SSP) Alok Kumar today.

Nearly 10,000 passengers board more than 500 buses every day from the stand for different destinations in the state and outside, like Calcutta in Bengal, Jamshedpur and Ranchi in Jharkhand and at times Nepal too. Till recently, passengers at the bus stand were petrified not only of criminals who had a free run of the place after the dark but also of the bus drivers, cleaners and ticket agents who allegedly harass passengers in the night.

Kumar said 32 closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras would be installed at the bus stand, including 12 near the entry and exit points. This will help the policemen posted at the bus stand monitor the movement of traffic and human beings and also track suspicious elements.

“The cameras will allow the officer at the bus stand to monitor the activities at all times,” said the SSP. He added that the surveillance mechanism would help the police keep tabs on bus owners, who have been known to fight among themselves and harass the passengers.

Alok said: “Two bus owners have been appointed as nodal officers. They, in collaboration with the police and the other bus operators, would help in enforcing law and order. Directions have also been given to the deputy superintendent of police (sadar) and Jakkanpur police station house officer to help them.”

To prevent confusion and subsequent altercations over the bus timings, around 10 wall clocks would be set up near the main entry and exit points, as well as other spots on the premises.

Bus owners have also been instructed to appoint their personal conductors, drivers, cleaners and booking agents.

“Bus owners often depute strangers for the job which leads to conflicts. Hence, it has been decided that each bus operator will submit three passport-size pictures and the names of their driver, conductor, booking agent and cleaner, and a covering letter, attesting the same to the Jakkanpur police station within seven days. The police station will do a background check on the men and issue them identity cards,” said Alok.

He added: “The men on duty will be required to wear their ID cards at all times. If a stranger is caught carrying out a job, the bus owner concerned will be held responsible.”

The bus cleaners and the booking agents will also have to wear a blue uniform, when on duty.

“The passengers have to go through a lot of problems in identifying the booking agents because of the crowd. The uniform will solve the problem. The bus owners have to ensure that their employees wear the uniforms on duty. If any cleaner or conductor misbehaves or tries to get a passenger into their bus forcibly, the police will take strict action against the bus owner,” the SSP said.

In addition to this, if a bus owner removes any of the employees from duty, the information has to be provided to the Jakkanpur police station so that the identity card can be cancelled. Directions have also been given to the local police station to mark out and remove the illegal betel shops at the entry and exit gates. The cops will also keep tabs on the vendors on the premises of the bus stand.

“The names, telephone numbers and addresses of all the vendors will be taken down by the police. We will run a background check on them and issue temporary identity cards, which they should wear when they are at the bus stand. This will ensure a major drop in theft cases,” said Kumar.

He added: “The existing group of home guard jawans posted at the bus stand will be replaced by 12 newly recruited police constables, led by an assistant sub-inspector.”

The passengers have welcomed the move of the police.

“This is a good move. We hope it is implemented properly. The bus stand faces major law and order problems. We don’t feel safe here, especially during the evenings,” said Kundan Kumar, a passenger on his way to Gaya.