Bhubaneswar, June 1: East Coast Railway (ECoR) will shortly install closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras in coaches to strengthen security in running trains, general manager of the railway Rajiv Vishnoi said today.

Vishnoi also said that the Puri railway station might get Wi-Fi service before rath yatra this year. "The trial run of the CCTV cameras has been successfully conducted in various other parts of the country. We will shortly install the cameras in around 200 coaches in our jurisdiction," Vishnoi told mediapersons this evening.

Women passengers often complain of harassment in crowded compartments in running trains. The government railway police (GRP) in November last year had arrested two youths for their involvement in harassing a group of college-going women. The GRP had arrested Ajay Kumar Das, 25, and Susant Kumar Subudhy, 25, both residents of Jatni, on the basis of complaint filed by a woman studying in a Bhubaneswar college.

Railway officials said that the installation of CCTV cameras would help curb crimes against women.

"In most cases, the culprits involved in these cases get off the train, making it difficult for the police to identify them. But with the cameras on, they could be identified and nabbed easily," said a railway official.

ECoR has a fleet of around 2,200 coaches. The railway has also expressed its determination to eliminate unmanned level crossings. "Last year, we had set a target to do away with 155 unmanned level crossings and we managed to do it in 159 such crossings. We have also set a target to close 155 unmanned level crossings this year," Vishnoi said.

Railway officials said that Cuttack station would get free Wi-Fi by December this year. On April 17, a free Internet service was launched at Bhubaneswar railway station, making it the second station in the country after Mumbai Central to get the facility.

"The Wi-Fi service will also be extended to other stations in the state," Vishnoi said.