DMRC collects Rs 2 lakh in fine from over 1,200 people in six months
DMRC collects Rs 2 lakh in fine from over 1,200 people in six months
Rs 2 lakh collected as fine from 1,200 people within six months. Seems, the Delhi Metro is not sparing the rod.
According to officials of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), between April and September as many as 1,200
passengers have been fined for various offences. The Delhi Metro has collected around Rs 2 lakh in fine in these months. "On an average, six to eight people are fined everyday, mostly for travelling beyond their token destination. However, offences are not restricted to over-travelling. The list also includes squatting and creating nuisance and defacement of Metro property," a DMRC official said, wishing anonymity.
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Cashing in on rush: DMRC charges Rs 50 as fine for ticket-less travel or over-travelling |
Delhi Metro spokesperson Anuj Dayal said, "Earlier, the power of imposing fine was vested with magistrates alone. For the past one year station managers have been authorised to fine those found violating rules under the Delhi Metro Railways (Operation and Maintenance) Act, 2002. It has helped in curbing incidents of unruliness and other offences," said Dayal.
However, sources in the Delhi Metro say most of the fines were imposed for over-travelling, wherein a passenger travels to a destination for which he hasn't paid. "Sometimes commuters try to save money by travelling to a station beyond the destination for which they have bought a ticket. When they deboard,u00a0 in most of the cases they are caught," said a senior operations department official of DMRC.
Commuters say
Meanwhile, commuters have a different take on the issue. "Ridership is increasing but DMRC staff is not enough. As stations have become overcrowded, sometimes, the staff work in a hurry. So there is a possibility of getting the station's name wrong while buying the token. Also due to overcrowding, it is not possible to check every detail at the Metro station before boarding a train," said Reeta Singh, a regular Metro traveler between Noida and Janakpuri.
Commuters say, similar sounding names of Metro stations confuse passengers. Names of several stations are identical on the Metro network. Commuters argue that during communication with the operator issuing tokens, if there is a miscommunication, the commuter might end up paying a fine without a fault. "I had bought a token to travel to Janakpuri West Metro station from Noida. But when I de-boarded at the station I was told my token was up to Janakpuri East. I had to pay Rs 50 as fine without any fault," said Singh.
However, Dayal said, "Commuters should check their destination on the machines installed at Metro stations and also calculate the fare on charts displayed all over Metro stations. Later, it is very difficult to identify whether a commuter has a genuine problem or is telling a lie," Dayal said.
He added Delhi Metro will also launch a publicity campaign to educate commuters and distribute pamphlets to curb the problem.
9 lakh passengers travel on Delhi Metro every day
Fine know-how>>Fine up to Rs 500 for drunken behaviour, vandalism, indecency, use of offensive and abusive language
>>Fine of upto Rs 5,000 and imprisonment of upto four years for carrying dangerous and offensive material on Metro rail.
>>Fine of Rs 1,000 and imprisonment of upto six months for putting up posters without lawful authority or defacing the Metro premises or trains
>>Penalty of Rs 250 and imprisonment of upto two monthsu00a0 for damaging Metro boards or documents
>>Rs 50 fine for ticket-less travel or over-travelling
