JOIN USRiding low on civic sense
If you are about to step into a metro coach, halt and be on your guard or else you will regret it. For it is entirely possible that some of those deboarding want to satiate their spitting urge. On the tracks, on the platform and even within the coach, the Metro is a victim of Delhi spitters who leave no stone unturned to make sure that the efforts of cleaners go waste.
According to a Metro official, from November 2008 to 2011, spitting has attracted the highest number of penalties –approximately 6,650 people. It is from these offenders that Metro has earned a booty of Rs.13,28,000 approx.! But, the civic sense remains abysmally low!
Often, due to lack of space we suppose, people even spit inside the broken glass of fire extinguishers that are fixed at various places inside the stations. So bad is their state that in a case of emergency, one would not like to touch these fire extinguishers!
Ranbeer Kumar, a 24-year old computer engineer, who commutes from Gurgaon to Govindpuri says, “It is now normal for me to see people spitting inside Metro stations and even inside the coach. The word civic sense doesn’t make sense to them at all. So much that they will push you in and out of coach with complete disregard. Once I saw a foreigner helping a girl deboard the train amidst a rowdy crowd. Why can’t we do that as a civilised society? Metro ka haal DTC se bhi bura hai.”
The civic sense goes for a toss during peak hours and four coaches aren’t enough for the over-flowing crowds who can’t wait for their turn, and board even before the passengers inside have deboarded.
Heena Walia, a 22-year old student says, “Despite a separate women’s coach, women are not safe, for men want to fill up the reserved coach even if the rest of the train is empty. No matter how much the guards shout and how much the train maybe delayed, some just refuse to budge – sometimes on the pretext of crowds, while others cite accompanying families as a reason. Isn’t the rule same for everyone? Then why not follow them!”
The story becomes worse with littering. Ankita Trivedi, a 23-year old student of M.A.English in DU says, “While waiting for the train, I once saw a woman throwing an empty glass of cold drink on the track. On being pointed out by fellow passengers she said that she is new and didn’t know about it. The lady was well-dressed and looked educated so it was difficult to believe that she was unaware of the rules! In fact, I have realized that outsiders are more careful while travelling in Metro than Delhiites who take it for granted.”
As far as the officials are concerned, they often organise drives and catch offenders. At times, the officials even counsel first-time commuters but the question is how far can a handful of officials transform a society of millions that refuses to respect the facilities provided to it?