The railway decided to keep an eye on its ticket queues to nab touts as well as snap the tout-railway booking counter nexus, said sources. Chief WR spokesperson Vinod Asthana informed that the problem of touts is most acute at Mumbai Central and Borivli. When booking for a train opens 60 days in advance, more than 90 per cent of berths are booked within half an hour on day one, he said.

The sprawling reservation complex at Mumbai Central, with 35-odd ticket counters, is under constant surveillance by a 16 camera set-up. And at Borivli, eight cameras constantly monitor the movements of commuters and railwaybooking staff. The project's total costs are about Rs 16 lakh.

Around 10 Signal and Telecommunication staff have been trained for the job. The Western Railway Divisional Railway Manager's (DRM) office, headquartered at Mumbai Central, can monitor the two complexes. Another colour monitor is placed at the Assistant Security Commissioner's, Railway Protection Force office at Mumbai Central and one at the reservation supervisor's office at the complex itself. The WR is now trying to create space at Churchgate station as well.

Senior security officials also run through video tapes later in the day to see if any of the faces in the crowd are on their list of regular offenders. "If we spot a person hanging around aimlessly in the waiting hall or spending too much time at the reservation counter, we approach him and ask for details," said a senior RPF inspector. At present, the cameras are positioned from within the reservation complex, but the railway is also mulling fixing up a camera outside.

However, thesystem is far from glitch-free, as the staff are well aware that they are under scrutiny. And it will not take long for touts to get camera-savvy. The general rate of conviction is also not encouraging, with just eight of the 205 touts nabbed being convicted. Concurred Asthana, "The fine amount is also minimal."