DMRC not to renew leases of shops, kiosks inside stations

To get rid of the problem of rat infestation, ensure better crowd movement and uphold the aesthetics of the station, no more kiosks will be allowed to come up in any of the Delhi Metro stations.

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has decided not to permit any more new kiosks or shops to be set up inside the station premises. Meanwhile, kiosks operating with a licence will continue to run till their licenses expire. These commercial spaces will not be leased out again.

"Not having kiosks in any such areas will also ensure better crowd movement and better station aesthetics. As of now, they are located in a haphazard manner and no standardisation is in place for them," said a spokesperson for DMRC.

He also said that the prime reason for taking this decision is to check the infestation of rats into the station, which nibble on the station's wires and other equipment, causing serious damage.

"Not only does it affect the aesthetics of the station, but there have also been cases when rats have cut signalling wires. Leftover food and poor maintenance by these small shops causes rats to enter the station. A survey was done to identify snack shops that were affecting the movement of passengers and responsible for unhygienic conditions," said a DMRC official.

According to sources at DMRC, "these shops were on lease for a three-year contract, which cannot be terminated in the middle of the contract period. Having learnt its lessons, the Corporation will not renew the lease period and will not let out the shops again."

"We will neither renew contracts, nor issue fresh licence for such shops. Some of them were between the token counters and security check, leading to congestion. Over a period of time, Metro ridership has increased significantly and we prefer the comfort of passengers over commercial activity," the source added.

DMRC officials also stated that once the licenses of these kiosks expires, the Corporation will come up with a more organised and standardised way of facilitating these shops inside stations, so that passengers gets a better ambiance and can move around the station without hassles.