Credit: Screengrab from the viral video
Bengaluru: Namma Metro said on Wednesday that it would step up patrolling during non-peak hours to prevent passengers from consuming chewable tobacco, and spitting and littering at stations and inside trains.
The announcement came after a video posted on social media showed a passenger consuming gutkha inside a metro train.
According to Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL), since possession of such substances cannot be detected through metal detectors, it has decided to implement random physical pat-down checks at all metro stations.
While platform security guards will be sensitised to look out for such passengers, the central security surveillance room has already been instructed to monitor passenger behaviour and alert the platform security staff concerned immediately upon noticing any violations, it added.
Enhanced surveillance will now be carried out on all trains and at metro stations, and guilty passengers will be fined as per the BMRCL rules, it said.
The BMRCL also promised extensive awareness campaigns to educate passengers on the importance of refraining from using chewable tobacco-based products within metro premises.