GURGAON: During his visit to a couple of Metro stations on Thursday, railway minister Dinesh Trivedi complimented the benchmark the Metro has set in terms of cleanliness. However, according to the Metro officials, they are finding it difficult to maintain this benchmark, as there is a steep rise in the number of offences committed by the ever-growing number of Metro users.
Spitting, creating a nuisance and defacing Metro property top the list of offences and Delhi Metro has fined over 17,464 passengers over the last couple of years, with the fines amounting to Rs 36 lakh.
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the number of Metro commuters is increasing by the day, the number of instances of offences is also on the rise. Our network has expanded and we are reaching far-flung areas. In spite of putting up boards asking commuters not to spit, they continue to do so. A large part of the fines collected was from commuters who spat on Metro prmises followed by those making unlawful entry into the coach reserved for women. A lot of commuters also get drunk and are a nuisance for fellow passengers. Many such cases have been reported from the M G Road station," said a Metro official.
Commuters, meanwhile, say that the penalty amount should be hiked so that the number of offences comes down. "The sanitation conditions at Metro stations have certainly taken a beating in the past few months. There is no doubt that the number of people at Metro stations has gone up manifold, but this should not be allowed to become the reason for Metro stations becoming dirty. The Metro should live up to its world-class tag and see that there is no slackening on the cleanliness front. If the fines are hiked maybe people start behaving," said Saurabh Jain, a commuter.