The CISF is doing a good job handling these ‘drunken gentlemen’ boarding the Delhi Metro, at least, as far as records are concerned, despite arguments continuously put forth by campaigners against drunken driving.
Of the lakhs of commuters boarding the metro every day, only 314 have been fined so far this year by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) for being drunk and for indecent behaviour. In the previous year, 1297 people were fined for the same, as revealed by DMRC records.
There is no concise guideline about allowing or not allowing drunkards in the metro, causing a dilemma. They are fined only when they become a menace. ‘Drunken men who seem incapable of carrying themselves, especially the ones who travel alone, are not allowed beyond the frisking gate. The few who have been fined are people who were sober at the frisking point and turned into a nuisance later,’ says Hemendra Singh, Deputy Commandant (PRO) of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) – the body concerned with the security of Delhi Metro.
Things get difficult for CISF as campaigners argue that all drunkards should be allowed to board the metro. ‘If a drunken person is compelled to take the road, he is more subjected to fatal accidents. It gets worse if he decides to drive or ride his own vehicle, where he poses this fatal threat to more than one life,’ says activist Prince Singhal, founder of Campaign Against Drunken Driving.
He further says, CISF can use alcohol-breathe testers for imposing penalty on drunken commuters but they should allow them to board the metro. As far as security of commuters is concerned, CISF is responsible for the security of the drunkards too who board the train. ‘For the ruckus they create, they can be fined or detained but they shouldn’t be compelled to take the road,’ he adds.
A few years ago, CISF had done a pilot test at some of the most crowded metro stations in which alcohol-breath meters were used at the frisking gate. ‘That didn’t work out, firstly, because of the huge number of commuters we deal with and, secondly, because different people react differently after consuming the same level of alcohol.
So, imposing fine on metro commuters merely on that test seemed unjust as only a few of them turn into a menace,’ says Hemendra Singh.
The penalty imposed by DMRC for drunkenness leading to indecent behaviour in the metro is Rs 200, and they deal with such cases very strictly, says spokesperson of DMRC.
But a large number of drunken menaces walk out without a penalty as people do not use the helpline number to complain about them. There is a proper mechanism to deal with this: If a call is made on the helpline number from a running metro and such incidents are reported, along with the station which the train is about to reach, a team of CISF jawans keeps waiting in the next station to deal with the episode.
‘But people should be made more aware of this, so that they can make best use of the said mechanism. ‘One should call the helpline number immediately instead of complaining later,’ says Singh.