DMRC to drill ‘civic’ sense into Delhiites

In the run up to the Commonwealth Games in October, the Delhi Metro is taking a number of measures to instill better civic sense among its commuters.

To start with, it has already fined 195 persons for spitting and 62 for defacing Metro property. Four flying squads have been created for the purpose and these teams are already conducting surprise checks almost daily to catch erring commuters.

Station staff has been specifically directed to keep a close eye on commuters indulging in spitting, littering or defacing the metro premises.

Also, station managers and controllers, authorised to realise penalty from offending commuters, have already been issued ‘Authorised for Penalty’ identity cards, said a Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) officer.

Thousands of foreign visitors are expected to use the Metro system during Games and the Delhi metro wants to maintain world-class civic standards on its train and stations.

“About 10 lakh (one million) commuters use the metro system on any working day and it is expected that 20 lakh (two million) commuters would use the system during the Games,” the DMRC officer added.

Further, volunteers of the Metro Citizen’s Forum have also been requested to promptly report cases of commuter misbehaviour to Metro authorities.

Besides spitting and defacing Metro property, other problems encountered at crowded stations include rush for seats, not letting de-boarding passengers alight from the train first and obstructing closing of doors.

The Delhi Metro already has 400 volunteers as part of its Metro Citizens’ Forum.