Hefty fine likely for spitting in Delhi Metro premises

As the Delhi Metro is gearing up to resume its operations, spitting in Metro premises may invite Rs 1,000 fine against Rs 200 earlier, said an official in the company.

With the National Distaster Act making Rs 1,000 fine for spitting and Rs 200 for not wearing mask, the Delhi Metro Railway Corporation (DMRC) is waiting the Centre's nod to implement the same in its premises also.

Moreover, existing Delhi Metro Railway (Operation and Maintenance ) Act 2002 did not have provision to deal with COVID-19. For instance, fine for not wearing mask is not there in the existing law. The Delhi Metro officials is waiting for the government's instructions to make suitable changes in their act to include new provisions.

The DMRC is also waiting for the government's approval for adopting new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to be followed by metro commuters including wearing mask, downloading Aarogya Setu app, maintaining social distance and mandatory use of smart card by commuters.

Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gehlot on Tuesday said the Delhi Government wants metro services to start at the earliest and waiting for the Centre's direction. He also said two days time notice required to resume operations.