Metro cracks whip on squatters, 22k fined

This year, 3,933 people fined for causing nuisance to other passengers

NEW DELHI: Till August this year, 22,699 commuters were caught sitting on the floor of the Delhi Metro trains — making it the most violated rule, data provided by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) shows.

Besides, 3,933 people were fined for causing nuisance to fellow passengers and 2,871 people were caught trying to walk away without depositing the tokens.

Other common offences include unlawfully entering coaches reserved for women and spitting inside stations and trains. So far this year, 2,278 male commuters were caught travelling in women’s coaches and 604 were booked for spitting.

In 2014, only four people were booked for sitting on the trains’ floor. That number increased to 108 in 2015, and reached 1,521 in 2016 and 10,155 in 2017 — gradually becoming the most common offence, especially since the last five years.

Several passengers, however, complained that the offence of sitting on the floor of the trains does not make sense for those travelling long distances in packed coaches.

The DMRC has collected Rs 24.13 lakh in fines from January to August this year. Sitting on the train can attract a fine of ₹200, while commuters have to cough out ₹150 if caught spitting.

Delhi Metro officials said the spike in prosecutions could also be due to the increase in security personnel at the stations and trains as well as expansion of the Metro network across the city.

While the network was 124.63-kilometres-long in 2014, it has, over the last four years, expanded two folds — it will cross the 300-km mark by 2018 end.

The daily ridership too has increased to 27 lakh passengers in 2018.

DMRC executive director (corporate communications) Anuj Dayal said, “Regular inspections and security checks are conducted inside the trains and stations to control offences such as squatting on trains and men travelling in women’s coaches. Many violators are also counselled. Our primary intention is to ensure better behaviour in our network and not to penalise commuters.”

The stations are also inspected by the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) — the paramilitary agency responsible for security in the Delhi Metro network.

Officials said causing nuisance to fellow passengers also emerged as a common offence – in 2014, only 275 people were booked for the offence. The number saw a 20-time jump by the end of 2017, with the figure reaching 4,865.

While most offences have seen a spike, the DMRC has managed to control violations such as carrying tokens away after travel and male passengers entering coaches reserved for women. In 2014, as many as 638 passengers were fined for keeping tokens with them even after completing their journey. This increased to 8,352 in 2016, before being brought down to 6,198 in 2017.

Similarly, 4,634 people were caught for unlawful entry into coaches reserved for women in 2016. That decreased to half – or 2,649 – in 2017.

“I travel from Uttam Nagar to Noida, and during office hours the train is packed. Who am I disturbing if I find a corner? More so when I’m returning from work in the evening. I barely have the energy to stand,” said Neelam Sarkar, a resident of Sagarpur.