In a bid to stop the theft on board, the Indian Railways will soon introduce an OTP-based digital locking system on its freight and parcel trains. The move will enhance the safety and security of the goods train.
According to railways, this new lock system will be opened through an OTP (One Time Password) and closed by another without any interference in between the journey. For the smooth running of the trains, an OTP will be received by railway personnel at each station where loading or unloading has to be done.
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Know how the OTP-based lock system would work:-
This new digital lock system will be opened or closed through an OTP which will be sent to the concerned railway personnel/officer’s mobile number. Once the train arrives at the destination, the lock pilot has to confirm the location by pressing the lock button and thereby verifying the personnel’s OTP. Once it is verified then another OTP will be sent to the driver’s mobile number to unlock the lock.
This new digital lock system will send an alert message to the railway’s official mobile number if any kind of incident like tampering or collision of doors takes place. Using the new lock system, the train will also be tracked and the location will be recorded.
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The move will also save the theft of property and increase freight revenue. In the current fiscal till January 25, 2023, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) has recovered stolen railway property worth Rs. 7.37 Crores with the arrest of 11,268 offenders. The force is empowered to deal with cases of crime against railway property under the provisions of the Railway Property (Unlawful Possession) Act, of 1966.
Presently, the OTP-based lock system is being followed on trucks where a GPS-enabled smart lock was installed which allows live tracking of the vehicle to reduce loot and thefts.