Delhi: After pleas don’t work, DMRC fines violators

NEW DELHI: Since the resumption of Delhi Metro services on Monday, most commuters have been diligently following safety norms to avoid the spread of the novel coronavirus. However, there have been a few not wearing a mask or maintaining social distancing inside the trains. After four days of advisories and announcements, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) finally decided to crack the whip on Friday.
“As part of a special drive, flying squads were deployed on all corridors to randomly check inside trains for violations and counsel people to refrain from doing so for their own and others’ safety. DMRC on Friday counselled over 150 passengers and penalised 92 Rs 200 each under Section 59 of Delhi Metro Operations & Maintenance Act for creating nuisance. These passengers did not wear masks or maintain social distancing inside trains even when counselled,” said Anuj Dayal, executive director (corporate communications), DMRC.
On Friday, TOI had reported how some passengers were seen throwing caution to the wind and removing face masks. Some even talked loudly inside trains with their faces uncovered despite continuous appeals by DMRC.
Many commuters also took to social media to complain about co-passengers violating safety norms, putting the health of others at grave risk. Dayal said the decision to deploy flying squads on all corridors was taken on the basis of complaints received on social media.
“Owing to the ongoing pandemic, everyone is required to wear a face mask throughout the journey on Delhi Metro and also adhere to social distancing norms to help prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus,” Dayal said. He added that DMRC had not only introduced new announcements advising the public to wear masks throughout the travel, but was also running short films on new travel norms at stations and inside trains on LED screens.
Dayal said entry gates at the stations also had prominent displays on dos & don’ts for Metro travel during the pandemic so that commuters entering stations were well-informed. “There is a deployment of over 1,500 DMRC personnel and civil defence volunteers at stations across the network to guide and help commuters who might not be fully aware of the newly introduced norms,” he added.
“Our intention at this time, when Metro services are yet to be made fully operational, is to advise and counsel passengers in adopting these norms with a positive attitude rather than merely being punitive,” Dayal said, adding that if people were still found flouting the norms, they would be penalised and could also be handed over to police.
The DMRC official said, “We hope that people will soon be well-versed with all the new norms and help DMRC run its services without any health risk to passengers.”
In Video:Delhi: DMRC cracks the whip on those not wearing masks inside trains