Replying to a question by Subhash Maharia and K C Singh "Baba" on the incidents of women facing harassment in trains, Velu said, "There is a marginal increase in the number of incidents of harassment of women passengers during the year 2007 compared with the previous year 2006".

According to the figures given by the minister there had been 174 incidents of harassment of women passengers in running trains in 2006 against 199 in 2007.

While incidents of looting and rail accidents registered a decline, the graph on crime against women passengers showed a steady increase. The minister pointed to difficulties in crime prevention measures.

He said maintenance of law and order was a state subject and the Government Railway Police (GRP) under its control could only take up registration and detection of crime under IPC "as such, the ministry of railways has to depend largely on them (state police and GRP) for control of crime in railways".

Velu informed the Parliament that the railways was "supplementing the efforts of the state police and GRP in controlling crime by deploying RPF (Railway Protection Force) staff to escort trains for the security of passengers".

He referred to the eight-point action plan for the security of women passengers currently in place in all railways. These measures include deployment of women TTEs and RPF in "vulnerable suburban sections", RPF drive against males traveling in ladies compartments, providing for GRP mobile pickets in mail and express trains near ladies compartments during night journeys and placing ladies and general coaches nearer to the guard's brake van in trains