<p>Metro prevents passengers from listening to music even on earphones </p>.<p>This will certainly not be music to your ears. You can’t listen to music on board Namma Metro!<br /><br />The new announcement sounds rather peculiar. It would make sense if it meant that passengers cannot play loud music on their devices which may disturb fellow passengers. If the security personnel forced people to remove their earphones, wouldn’t it be infringing on one’s freedom?<br /><br />While no Metro official was available to clarify the new rule, some of the passengers listening to music on their earphones on Monday were asked by station guards to stop doing so.<br /><br />Arunima Rao, a commuter on the Metro, boarded the train from Indiranagar to MG Road station on Monday. The announcement of the new rule on the train was not clear. “The announcement does not even say whether it pertains to loud music or even listening to music on the earphone. I continued to use the earphone till I was told to remove it by a security guard at the Ulsoor station,” she said.<br /><br />“A ban is not the solution to anything. Any public transport can’t ask people to desist from their personal and habitual activities,” she said.<br /><br />No takers for flags<br /><br />The national flag is yet to start flying high in terms of sales at the MG Road Metro station. Going by the sales figures, Metro riders seem to care the least about the tricolour. Many feel that the sale of flags itself does not blend with the Metro station complex.<br /><br />The small 12x13 kiosk owned by Karnataka Khadi Gramodyog Samyukta Sangh started operation on January 26 this year. <br /><br />The Republic Day was the only time when the kiosk witnessed a sale of Rs 5,000. Since then, daily sales figures are anywhere between Rs 200 and Rs 1,000. <br /><br />Almost a month after starting operation, the kiosk is yet to be inaugurated officially. Khadi Sangha members are hoping that once they get to have a grand launch of the flag kiosk, sales will pick up. <br /><br />V T Huded, secretary, KKGSS told Deccan Herald that the organisation based in Hubli expects much more in terms of returns from the flag kiosk at the Metro Station. It is the first ever kiosk for khadi National Flag in Bangalore apart from the age-old Khadi Bhavan stores. <br /><br />“We still do not have an official date for inauguration. We started sales on Republic Day even before we could create a strong base for the operation or ensure publicity through media,” said Huded. He adds that a majority of flags are bought only during Independence Day, Republic Day and Gandhi Jayanti. <br /><br />“The kiosk is set up inside the Metro station because there will be a mixed crowd from various states and countries. Also, the BMRCL has provided the space free of cost,” he said. <br /><br />Products here range from small car flags at Rs 98 to large banner flags at Rs 4,000.</p>
<p>Metro prevents passengers from listening to music even on earphones </p>.<p>This will certainly not be music to your ears. You can’t listen to music on board Namma Metro!<br /><br />The new announcement sounds rather peculiar. It would make sense if it meant that passengers cannot play loud music on their devices which may disturb fellow passengers. If the security personnel forced people to remove their earphones, wouldn’t it be infringing on one’s freedom?<br /><br />While no Metro official was available to clarify the new rule, some of the passengers listening to music on their earphones on Monday were asked by station guards to stop doing so.<br /><br />Arunima Rao, a commuter on the Metro, boarded the train from Indiranagar to MG Road station on Monday. The announcement of the new rule on the train was not clear. “The announcement does not even say whether it pertains to loud music or even listening to music on the earphone. I continued to use the earphone till I was told to remove it by a security guard at the Ulsoor station,” she said.<br /><br />“A ban is not the solution to anything. Any public transport can’t ask people to desist from their personal and habitual activities,” she said.<br /><br />No takers for flags<br /><br />The national flag is yet to start flying high in terms of sales at the MG Road Metro station. Going by the sales figures, Metro riders seem to care the least about the tricolour. Many feel that the sale of flags itself does not blend with the Metro station complex.<br /><br />The small 12x13 kiosk owned by Karnataka Khadi Gramodyog Samyukta Sangh started operation on January 26 this year. <br /><br />The Republic Day was the only time when the kiosk witnessed a sale of Rs 5,000. Since then, daily sales figures are anywhere between Rs 200 and Rs 1,000. <br /><br />Almost a month after starting operation, the kiosk is yet to be inaugurated officially. Khadi Sangha members are hoping that once they get to have a grand launch of the flag kiosk, sales will pick up. <br /><br />V T Huded, secretary, KKGSS told Deccan Herald that the organisation based in Hubli expects much more in terms of returns from the flag kiosk at the Metro Station. It is the first ever kiosk for khadi National Flag in Bangalore apart from the age-old Khadi Bhavan stores. <br /><br />“We still do not have an official date for inauguration. We started sales on Republic Day even before we could create a strong base for the operation or ensure publicity through media,” said Huded. He adds that a majority of flags are bought only during Independence Day, Republic Day and Gandhi Jayanti. <br /><br />“The kiosk is set up inside the Metro station because there will be a mixed crowd from various states and countries. Also, the BMRCL has provided the space free of cost,” he said. <br /><br />Products here range from small car flags at Rs 98 to large banner flags at Rs 4,000.</p>
