No more chewing gum inside Metro stations

BENGALURU: A rather unusual announcement has now made its debut on the trains of Namma Metro. The public announcement system calls upon commuters to stop using chewing gum inside Metro trains and even stations.

It also calls upon public not to consume paan or gutka inside the premises. Asked about the inclusion of the harmless chewing gum in this addictive list, a top Metro official blamed it on the behaviour displayed by a few commuters. “Our housekeeping staff came across a few instances of chewed gum being pasted on seats and doors and even hand grips inside Metro trains. So, we decided to add it to the forbidden list.”
Asked if anybody had been caught in the act of spitting out a gum inside a train, he replied in the negative. And what will be the repercussions if you end up enjoying a gum inside Metro property? The official said, “We are yet to penalise anyone for it. The fine levied on those dirtying the stations after consuming paan is `200. The same could be levied in the case of those chewing gum.”

A bigger problem though is spittle. The well-maintained Metro stations face a daily battle to maintain cleanliness inside its premises due to paan spitters. With crowds swelling during morning and evening hours, there is no way that every passenger’s movements can be tracked, an official pointed out. Not just station premises, even pillars outside are not spared by the spitters.

The worst hit though is the busy Kempegowda Metro station, where passengers from both East-West and North-South Line converge. Explaining the acute problem faced here, an official said, “Out of 60 cases booked by Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd against those defacing Metro station premises, 48 cases have been booked at Kempegowda station.”

In June 2016, BMRCL put up posters in pillars around Mantri Square Sampige Metro station warning of a penalty for those who spit there.Delhi Metro had a huge problem with spittle splashed across its stations and it initially had one designated magistrate to handle such cases across its network. Later on, every station was allocated a staff empowered to collect on-the-spot fines from spitters.