As someone who travels in the Delhi Metro literally every day, one thing I always noticed was passengers often sitting on the floor of the train despite alarm bells from the announcements in the train.
It was only recently that I got to know that commuters could now be booked for sitting on the floor.
Sitting on the floor of the train and unlawfully entering the coaches reserved for women are amongst the most common offences for which you can be made to pay.
In 2014, only four people were booked for sitting on the floor of the train while this number has reached to 22,699 commuters till August this year.
Thanks to us, the Delhi Metro has made Rs. 38 lakh from this offence alone.
What do commuters think about it?
Many of the passengers are of the opinion that the offence of sitting on the floor makes no sense to them especially for those passengers who are travelling long distances in packed coaches during office hours.
Taking the example of Huda City Centre, I have myself seen never-ending lines to enter the metro station during peak hours. The approximate time between arriving at the metro station to entering the train takes 15 minutes.
Being an office going person and then not finding a seat in the metro leaves them with no option but to sit on the floor.
Talking to Business Today, Dipika Bhatia – a daily commuter from Dwarka to Noida travels for a duration of 1.5 hours each side to reach her workplace recounts why she prefers sitting on the floor.
“I just don’t have the strength to stand after a long day at work,” she said, admitting that she knows it is an offence but does not understand the reason behind it.
Also Read: Watch: This Is Why Delhi Metro Is Running Late These Days
Another frequent commuter on the Delhi Metro, Saranya Kumar, who travels on the Yellow Line to Gurgaon, tends to take side with the DMRC’s decision.
“There are seats. If people are feeling unwell, they can ask people to get up. I have seen that most people vacate seats if you have a genuine reason,” she said to Business Today.
On the other hand, there are question marks on its implementation too.
A friend of my recounted how she was sitting on the floor of the train along with fellow commuters when one of the Metro officials came inside.
Seeing him, all commuters rose up to avoid being fined but the official only fined my friend while everyone else got away with sitting on the floor of the train. Along with this, there were other people sitting in the coaches behind, for which no action was taken.
Is the DMRC right in fining you?
Talking to a DMRC official, he explained to me that people sitting on the floor also affect boarding and deboarding and causes delays.
After researching about it, its safe to say that DMRC is totally right in imposing a fine on you.
Yes, people tend to be tired in long journey during peak hours but sitting on the train restricts the movements of people in the coach with the chances of commuters tripping by your legs during movements.
A metro train is designed for a load of 8 people per metre square. If people occupy the space of a metro simply sitting on the floor, lesser people would be able to accommodate in the metro because of a lack of space.
It is said one person sitting on the floor occupies the space equivalent to 3 persons standing. When the metro is already so jam-packed during peak hours this only creates problems.
Also ensuring the utmost safety of the passengers, the metro trains have bars and handles to which people can hold to in case of sudden jerks and other accidents. While sitting there are no means to which one can hold to which only increases the risk of an injury.
Rest assured you won’t want to sit on the floor of the train from next time. Wasting your time arguing and paying Rs.200 is definitely not worth the struggle.
Image Credits: Google Images
Sources: Business Today, Hindustan Times, DBPOST
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Hey blogger,
Fine is 200 rupees or 200 bucks?